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The Society of London. 

(LA soci£t£ BE LONBRES.) 



BY 

COUNT PAUL VASILI. 









NEW YORK: 
GEORGE MUNRO, PUBLISHER 

17 TO 27VANDEWATER STREET. 



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PREFACE 



St. Petersburg, April, 1885. 

My dear young Friend,— I promised you some letters Irom 
LoneloD, and here they are, rather sooner than 1 wished to send 
them, tor 1 did not think of publishing them until next autumn. 
But events are taking place so rapidly in England, ana 1 ;vas afraid 
everything would soon be looking so different, that by the action of 
one of those sudden changes which Prince Bismarck describes as 
" the psychological moment," the sketches I was quietly finishing 
at home would be rendered out of date. 

In these letters about London you will not find anything analo- 
gous to the letters on Berlin and Vienna; for those cities have noth- 
ing in common with the English metropolis. The United Kingdom 
is different in origin, manners, and ideas from the Continental 
countries, and is separated from them by difference of development 
and bv special transformations, much more widely than by the in- 
tervening ocean. 

In London we find a society made up of contrasts; a medley of 
modern ideas and antiquated prejudices, intellectual advancement 
and stolid customs, unequaled material progress, and stubborn 
moral opposition. 

The subject is so complex that to do it justice would require a 
voluminous work, such as our fathers used to wrile, but which 
neither you nor I would have time or patience to read. 

Paul Vasili. 

[Though the facts in this book come from Count Vasili 's personal 
knowledge, observation, and inquiries, all from English sources, 
he is indebted to the following for some information: 

Some of the remarks on the rurf are derived from Lord Cadogan's 
pen; on the newspapers, from Charles Pebody (" English Journal- 
ism "); on music, from "La Musique au Pays des Brouillards." 
A few of Jehu Junior's portraits have also completed the Count's 
personal information. Three political portraits owe a part of their 
facts to the clever studies of Mr. Frank H. Hill.] 



6 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

portrait drawn of her Majesty during her lite-time must be in many 
respects a contradiction and a paradox. 

Her Majesty Queen Victoria is the daughter of the Duke of Kent, 
the younger brother of William IV. and of George IV., neither of 
whom left direct heirs. 

The British Constitution holds the Queen infallible, inviolable, 
and above the law. She has all rights, absolutely, but she does not 
practically exercise them. She has to govern through her Ministers. 
Her Majesty's private life is devoted to the cherished memories of 
the past. 

She resides at Windsor, at Osborne, or at Balmoral alternately, 
and rarely visits the capital. 

The Queen thoroughly understands politics, and is highly in- 
formed. She has been well taught by Sir Robert, Peel, Lord Rus- 
sell, Lord Palmerston, Lord Beaconsfield. and Mr. Gladstone. Her 
mind was formed and guided by the wisdom and prudence of 
Prince Albert, and she is a competent authority on every subject to 
which she gives her attention. 

Diplomatists and politicians who have opportunities of observing 
them, are stiuck by the extent of her knowledge, the clearness of 
her views, and her wonderful memory. 

Queen Victoria is the model of a constitutional sovereign ; but she 
intrusts to the Prince of Wales all the representative duties of her 
position. Her Majesty only gives private receptions to a few official 
visitors, or to persons of distinction on their travels. 

The days are, indeed, far past when the young Queen gave garden- 
parties in Buckingham Palace to more than six hundred guests; 
when on rainy afternoons every one had to beguile the time by nar- 
rating some amusing anecdote; or when her Majesty, with her hair 
powdered, excited universal admiration at a famous fancy ball by 
her graceful dancing of a minuet; or when she carelessly carried off 
the keys of the official dispatch-boxes when she went foraride, and 
lost them on the road, so that a squad of policemen had to be sent 
to search for them, to the amusement of all London. There re- 
mains but one sole trait in the character of the Queen that recalls 
those former days. It is when at the gillies' ball her Majesty ap- 
pears with all her household. 

She is \ery fond of Scotland and her dear Highlanders; the hum- 
blest among them are her friends. She treats them with kindness, 
and they return it by affection. There everything is familiar to her, 
from Geldershiel and Glassaltshiel glens to the lakes and peaks of 
Graig Govan. There she is interested in everything, delighted at 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 7 

everything, attached to everything, especially to her two dogs, 
* ' Sharp ' ' and ' ' JSToble. ' ' 

Peasants drink to her health by the road-side, and John Brown 
used to answer them with the frank Scotch bluntness that was a 
feature in his honeat character. As I have mentioned his name, 1 
will add a touching detail. When John Brown lost his father (a 
small farmer), the Queen went herself to console the poor blind 
widow, sat beside her in her kitchen among the relations of the de- 
ceased, took part in the prayers and in all the traditional and primi- 
tive customs of the simple mountaineers, sharing their grief as if 
she had lost a member of hei own family. Quite lately she attended 
the funeral of Willie Blair, her old Highland fiddler, who died at 
ninety years of age, and she ordered a monument to be erected to 
him in the church-yard at Crathie. 

The Queen leads a perfectly simple, indeed rustic life, at Bal- 
moral ; etiquette no longer reigns, but, freedom is unrestrained. 

Her Majesty is awakened every morning by the bagpipes of her 
Highlanders. 

The Queen detests smoking, and the practice is strictly prohibited 
at Windsor Castle. 

What would she have said if she had found herself in the position 
of Lady Shaftesbury, who, having taken Garibaldi into her boudoir 
after dinner, saw him coolly light a cigarette as a matter of course, 
without asking her permission? Smokers have no pity, ana you are 
probably aware that the Vienna Conference had to be interrupted 
tor an hour to allow the French and Turkish embassadors to go out 
and smoke. 

At great official ceremonies the Queen seldom appears, and when 
she has to make a speech— on presenting colors to a regiment, or on 
decorating some hero— she dislikes the exertion extremely. 

When she does consent to show herself to her people, she always 
occupies an open carriage, whatever the weather may be, so as not 
to disappoint the faithful subjects who have collected to see her. 

The greatest part of the Queen's day is occupied in exercise ia the 
open air, driving and walking. 

She receives a few political persons, especially the Prime-minister, 
the Duke of Richmond, her friend and adviser, and more frequently 
still her Secretary, thj worthy General Ponsonby. A Cabinet mes- 
senger is dispatched to her after eacn Council, even if she is at the 
far end of Scotland, and the Prime minister's day's work is always 
terminated by a letter to the Queen. When any great event or crisis 



O THE SOCIETY OF LOXDOX. 

occurs, her time is occupied in receiving and dispatching telegrams. 
She leads, works, and writes a great deal. 

The musical evenings she used to enjoy with two or three friends 
are things ot the past; but it she has given up music, she has not 
entirely abandoned the fine arts. A short time ago Mr. Green, the 
famous water-color painter, was summoned to Balmoral to give the 
Queen lessons in drawing, and remained therefor some months. At 
her first lesson she said, very simply, as she took up her pencil. " 1 
feel so nervous." Although she is a good judge of the works of 
others, the Queen paints and draws only pretty well, and her unpre- 
tending writings will not shed a great luster upon English literature. 
Her works are revised by Sir Theodore Martin, the well-known 
author of " The Life of the Prince Consort." 

TVhen the Queen wishes to show her sympathy with any institu- 
tion, she presents it with a copy of her " Journal of Our Life in the 
Highlands." 

Of her three royal residences the Queen prefers Balmoral. She 
has had a cross in memory of the Princess Alice and an obelisk to 
the Prince Consort erected there. She is much influenced by the 
place that she inhabits, and is a totally different person at Balmoral 
and at Windsor. At Balmoral she recalls the sweetest memories of 
her life, and again sees in fancy the old building, with its small 
rooms. In the old billiard-room the Queen was constantly obliged 
to rise from her seat to let the players pass. 

1 can not leave the subject of Balmoral without alluding to the 
well-known John Brown, who was both a servant and an adviser to 
his royal mistress. John Brown is dead, and the Queen has raised 
a statue to him under her windows, and devoted some pages of her 
second book to his memory. To my mind there is something very 
touching in the esteem and confidence bestowed by the sovereign 
upon her faithful servant, whose devotion was a ray of light upon 
her saddened life. 



SECOND LETTER 

THE ROYAL FAMILY. 

If 1 were to enumerate the various members of the royal family 
— the children, grandchildren, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, neph- 
ews, nieces, and collateral princes and princesses — 1 should bore you 
as effctually as 1 bored you with the long list of the Austrian arch- 
dukes in my letters on Vienna. 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 9 

The Prince of Wales stands by every right in the first place, and 
no one could fill it better, vvith a more charming presence or a more 
gallant mien. 

His character is a contrast to that of the genuine Englishman. 
He bears a resemblance to Henry V., as Shakespeare depicts that 
piince. He is tond of pleasure, has high spirits, and is interested in 
everything worthy of interest. 

If, on the one hand, the Prince of Wales is a man of a former age, 
he is, on the other, perfectly modern; he is a Parisian living in Lon- 
don; he loves the Boulevard, and conversation full of wit and 
repartee, in which he plays his part to admiration. 

He is admittedly the finest and first gentleman of the United King- 
dom, and it he claims, as he is said to do, the title of the first gen- 
tleman in Europe, that claim, though great, is not excessive. 

His courtesy is exquisite, his grace of manner is irresistible; he 
throws himself entirely into the matter that for the moment occupies 
his attention, and makes each favored person to whom he speaks 
believe that he is an object of especial considera: ion. But the future 
King of England is chiefly distinguished from many of his country- 
men by his complete fieedom from arrogance. 

His friends say that with them he forgets his rank, but it is only 
on the condition that they remember it; and his familiarity with 
others is not theirs with him. 

Possessing perfect tact himself , he never forgives the want of it, 
and knows how to remind those around him cf what is due 1o him. 
One evening while the Prince was playing billiards, an equeiry 
quietly slipped off, and the Prince, leaving him time to undress and 
go to bed, suddenly affected to observe his absence, and sent for him. 
He is kind-hearted, and incapable of resentment, but at the moment 
of an offense he is severe. It is needless to say that the Prince of 
Wales is the best-dressed man in England, and that no fashion is a 
success unless he introduces it. He has the rare talent of uniting 
extreme refinement and simplicity. 

]\'o man in public lite works harder than the Prince of Wales. 
He is constantly receiving deputations, celebrating anniversaries, 
presiding at banquets of all kinds, and charities of every description. 
Condemned to gigantic luncheons, monster dinners, and intermin- 
able suppers, he yet rarely refuses an invitation. He passes a few 
pleasant hours every day at his club, opposite JMarlborough House. 
He is interested in every kind of sport, and is one of the best shots 
living. He may indeed be called a virtuoso of the gun. He fre- 
quently attends the House of Commons, inaugurates monuments, 



10 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

opens exhibitions, unveils statues, and he has laid first stones enough 
to construct a stately edifice. He holds levees, gives official balls, 
in fact bears all the penalties and accepts all the ceremonial tasks of 
royalty. 

Fortunately for the Prince, politics are forbidden by the Consti- 
tution, for he might have been induced to form a personal party, 
and that must always be a party of intrigue. The Prince has never 
lent himselr to any manifestation of opinion, and has never been 
carried away by any political current. He attends the meetings of 
Parliament in order to learn, and studies the papers carefully, but is 
satisfied always to remain a spectator. Apart from politics, he in- 
terests himself warmly in every public movement, and especially in 
all social improvements. The condition of the laboring and poorer 
classes occupies much of his time and thoughts, and he has set a 
noble example to all land-owners by facilitating the sale of land to 
laborers on his own estates. The present farming system in Eng- 
land is so pernicious that it contains the germ of an agrarian revolu- 
tion. The Prince has the good taste never to say, " When 1 am 
king," but " If ever 1 am king." 

His eldest son, Prince Albert Victor of Wales, is still a boy at 
twenty-one years old. 

This tardy development may, however, be deceptive, and the 
Queen herself observed lately thai the Prince of Wales and the 
Duke of Edinburgh were exactly the same at his age, and that he 
reminded her strongly of them. 

The Prince of Wales has had his two sons brought up at sta and 
they are consequently genuine sailors, ignorant of the pleasures of 
town life. 

The daughters of the Prince are brought up in the most simple 
manner. The three sisters occupy one large bedroom, furnished 
very plainly; they lead so quiet a life that they are still children, al- 
though the eldest is seventeen years old. They are conslantly with 
their mother, forming a charming group, and a fitting frame for 
her gracious presence. They are very distinguished in manner, very 
graceful, and extremely well educated. 

The lives of these five children have been passed in simplicity that 
does honor to the good sense of their parents. 

The Princess of Wales, the daughter of the King of Denmark, is 
fascination itself, and is much beloved by all classes of English 
people. 

The Princess, who is amiable, and of a gentle, quiet nature, is 
the type of character most admired ia England, 



JfflS SOCIETY OF LONDON. H 

She is a devoted wife and mother; sympathetic without famili- 
arity; prudent without prudery; dignified without haughtiness. 
She was brought up as she is now bringing up her own children, 
with the greatest simplicity. 

Her love of children, her respect for old people, her compass on 
for the unfortunate, her ready generosity, are truly admirable 
qualities. 

The Princess is an excellent musician; her taste is refined, she 
dresses wonderfully well, and always suitably to Ihe occasion. Al- 
though "he is now forty years old, she has the secret of perpetual 

y °She has not inherited the ability of her mother, Queen Louise of 
Denmark; her intelligence is not striking, and she does not care for 
clever people 

However, she more than atones for this by the possession of a 
oualitv rarer than the Phenix itselt-sbe never speaks ill of any- 
body therefore she has not an enemy. Her most intimale friend .s 
her lady-in-waiting, Miss Knollys. 

The Queen's second son, the Duke of Edinburgh, ,s the fiddler of 
the Cour,; he was born with an oar in one hand and a viohn m 
he other The Prince has traversed the whole world, and enjoyed 
every kind of pleasure-physical, intellectual, and artistic. 

He is a handsome man, but has not the charm ot the Prince of 
Walesffor, unlike him-not the only point of difference between 
them— he despises dress and elegance. . 

The Duke of Edinburgh is a true sailor, frank of manners and 
blunt of speech. He is a good shot, and very expert at al bodily 
exercises He plays the violin to his sailors, and at chanty con- 
certs, especially in the Albert Hall, before a large audience of per- 
sons An amateur orchestra has even been organized tor h.m, and 
meeis every week under the direction of Mr. Mount. 

The Duchess ot Edinburgh, the daughter ot our Czars, suffers 
from the rather infeiior position that she occupies in London She 
s considered haughty, but she is only proud, and she has not been 
able to accustom herself to English manners, although she has made 
many efforts to do so. 

She is very amiable, a very brilliant talker, loves argument, and 
holds her own with skill. With her cleverness and information 
boh tar beyond the average, she naturally disdains foolish and 
Mvolous society, and she has succeeded in makmg her home so 
blight and attractive that her husband gladly stays there. 



12 THE SOCIETY OP LONDOK. 

The Duke and Duchess have few friends. They are not very 
popular, and live in comparative retirement. 

Count Adlerberg, the secretary of the Russian embassador, is al- 
most their only intimate friend. 

The Queen's third son, the Duke of Connaught, represents the 
army, and is much liked in society. In Egypt he proved himself 
to be a good soldier and a great disciplinarian, and he had the good 
taste to sink his rank, to submit to orders, to bear the drudgery, 
and help in the roughest work of the campaign, entering intelli- 
gently into all the requirements of the service, and never allowing 
any exception to be made in his favor. Like all the Queen's chil- 
dren, he has musical tastes, and plays the instrument suitable to his 
profession — the drum. 

The Duke of Connaught will probably one day preside at the 
Horse Guards, which means that he will become Commander-in- 
chief of the army when the Duke of Cambridge vacates the post. 
This dignity is always conferred on a member of the Royal family, 
and the Duke of Connaught will be worthy of it. 

There is nothing particular to be said about the Duchess of Con- 
naught, except that she is very amiable and generally liked. 

The Queen's fourth son was that lamented Prince Leopold, who 
was so prematurely snatched away by death. 

His widow, the Duchess of Albany, a German princess, is very 
fond of the country; its rural pleasures have greater attractions for 
her than London society. It is not possible to call her pretty, but 
her health is superb, and she is so kind and good that everybody 
likes her in spite of her homely ways. 

Princess Christian is an excellent woman, who takes a great in- 
terest in educational matters. 

The Princess Louise is more artistic than her sisters; she is also 
more self-willed, and has a romantic disposition. She is married to 
the Marquis of Lome,, eldest son of the Duke of Argyll. 

The Marquis gained much popularity during his five years of 
office in Canada: he has admirable qualities as a governor and states- 
man. His character is lofty, noble, and true; and his blameless life, 
his liberal opinions, his love of right, his equable and conciliatory 
temper, and his intelligent and disinterested love of work have won 
golden opinions for him from all. 

The Princess Beatrice, the Queen's youngest daughter, has artist- 
ic tastes, is an excellent musician, and paints well. She is well- 
read, and possesses some literary ability. She is about to marry 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 13 

Prince Henry ot Battenberg. Tire young Prince is an ..(Beer in the 

"q"* given irer consent to this marriage only on the 
coIwio Q n of her daughter remaining near her; apartments .are being 
prepared tor the young couple at Windsor, and it is said the Queen 
means to make her new son-in-law her private secretary. 

Th o»lT princes of the blood royal are, first, the Commander- 
in-chief of the army, the Duke of Cambridge, the cousin of the 
OuTen A genuine old soldier, a stanch upholder of the Const.*- 
Hon of his country very jealous ot his authority, highly competent 
on afi ^liaTqu stions he has always been able to hold his own 
agant'very minister of warwhohas tried to subordinate the Horse 
Gu rds to Pall Mail. It must be added, however, that he rs not ab 
ways consu.ted, and that he is sometimes very much surpris d .to 
find the changes that have been made in the army w thout ins 
knowledge Th. Duke of Cambridge is popular in society His 
"he Princess Mary, married the Duke of Teck, a son of Duke 
Alexander ot Wllrtemberg and Countess Rliedey, who received the 
title of Countess Hohenstein on her morganatic marriage. 

The Duke of Teck is a handsome man, a good horseman, and a 
Jat favorite in English society. The Duke and Huchess have 
several children. They no longer reside in England. 

The Duchess of Cambridge resides at St. James s Palace. T s 
venerable lady reminds one of the witty saying of Aubet, V.e.lbr 
est encore le seul moyen qu'on ait tiouve de vivre. 

1 w ffi pass over in silence the son of the ex-King of Hanover th 
Duke of Cumbetland, who lives in Austria, and the Duchess ot 
Mecklenburg-Strelitz. 

THIRD LETTER. 

THE COURT. 

Sn.es Prince Albert's death, the Queen having retired from the 
wld the Court gradually dispersed, and a new circle was formed 

TerKrrr P r^e?b°;reflldren at lev.es, drawing- 

I0 Zr^ £££ ^es rise to amusing incidents, and a good 
ma ny droll stories might be told, such as that of the Amencan _who 
Zeared at a levee in a short jacket, yellow waistcoat, and black 
cravat having made a bet that he would be presented to her 



14 THE SOCIETY OF LONDOH. 

Majesty in this unorthodox costume. When he was refused ad- 
mittance, the United States Minister, Mr. Dallas, actually took the 
part of his eccentric countryman, and they both left the Palace in 
anger. 

Besides the Drawing-room and Levee, which eveiybody who is 
anybody may attend, there is an inner circle, which 1 will call the 
Younger Court. This is very select, and graced by some rare beau- 
ties. 

Except a few parties and little dinners in town, the Prince receives 
principally at Sandiingham. ]n the hunting-season about twenty 
guests at a time are honored by invitations, and generally stay for a 
week. They find themselves in a luxurious mansion, surrounded 
by lovely gardens, the very walls smiling with blight welcome, and 
the young and handsome hosts beaming with genial hospitality. In 
no home in the king !om is a guest so sure of a gracious reception as 
at Sandringham. The Princess herself conducts the ladies to their 
rooms, and the Prince superintends every detail of his house. 

Both fulfill their duties with an attention, a kindly care, and real 
anxiety for the welfare of their visitors, that the master and mistress 
of every house, however great or however small, would do well to 
imitate. Among the little things that struck me, I must mention a 
book in which the arrivals and departures of guests, their usual 
habits, special requirements, etc., are entered with the scrupulous 
exactitude of a merchant's ledger. How different from most royal 
residences in Europe! 

The invitations tor the end of autumn are, of course, tor pheasant 
and partridge shooting. 

Men who do not shoot accompany the ladies in wagonettes, and 
betake themselves to a vast tent erected in the grounds for the enjoy- 
ment of an elegant luncheon with the sportsmen. 

The evenings at Sandringham are devoted to playing at cards or at 
skittles, with pretty little skittles fit for the use of ladies. 

Sunday is divided between church going and visiting the Prince's 
zoological garden. It only contains bears and dogs, but there are a 
large number. The Princess is very fond of animals, and takes 
great care of them, feeding her favorites with her own hands. She 
is always surrounded by a number of dogs, and never travels with- 
out them; the footmen and ladies' maids have their arms full of 
them, and as some of the animals are always trying to escape, they 
give plenty of trouble. 

A fete, something like the gillies' ball in Scotland is given on the 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 15 

Prince's birthday. All the Royal tamily, their attendants, and vis- 
itors dance with their servants. 

The Prince surrounds himself at Sandringham by remarkable 
people of every kind; literary men, artists, journalists, directors of 
exhibitions, constructors of railways, engineers, inventors, learned 
men, politicians of every shade of opinion, and clever women— every 
one who is distinguished in any way, or who has any claim to con- 
sideration, is welcomed to his charming abode. 

From this lively circle all scheming is scrupulously banished; the 
Princess can not endure gossip, and at Sandringham no one vent- 
ures to calumniate his neighbor. The least attempt at scandal or 
insinuation is immediately and somewhat impatiently rebuked. 

The Prince has a small circle of intimate friends, his habitual 
guests, and whom he also visits. The principal members of this little 
group are the Duchess of Manchester, the Duke and Duchess of 
Sutherland, Lady Aylesbury, Lord and Lady Dudley, Lord and 
Lady Spencer, Lord and Lady Charles Beresford, Lord and Lady 
Alington, Lord Cadogan, Lord and Lady Dalhousie, Lord and Lady 
Carrington, Lady Lonsdale, Lady Mandeville, M. and Mme. de 
Falbe, the new Lady Londonderry, etc., etc. 

The Duke and Ducbess of Sutherland possess one of the oldest 
names and largest fortunes in Great Britain. They live at Stafford 
House, a wonderful edifice, copied from the Barberini Palace in 
Rome; its hall and staircase are among the artistic curiosities of 
London. This does not, however, imply that the owners are people 
of artistic taste. Nothing can surpass the sumptuous magnificence 
of the fetes given by the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland. 

The Duke possesses the most beautiful equipages in London, but 
drives a plain vehicle with one horse. He is very "odd," very 
proud, and supremely indifferent; but he enjoys great popularity on 
account of the sympathy that he bestows on the weak and op- 
pressed, and the liberality with which he gives money for charitable 
purposes. In politics his opinions are Liberal. 

The Duchess, who has been very beautiful, patronizes the Blue 
Ribbon Army, and holds temperance meetings in the most beautiful 
drawing-rooms in the world. 

Lord Spencer, the Viceroy of Ireland, is chiefly distinguished by 
an astonishing beard— a beard so gigantic that his friends think it 
funny to say he can hide himself behind it, and say he is not at 
home. 

Lady Spencer, a perfect type of the grande dame, is called 
" Spencer's Faery Queene " by her Irish admirers. She is lively, 



16 THE SOCIETY OF LONDOK. 

clevei, and amiable; she dresses to perfection, wears marvelous 
jewels, is well-read, and a delightful talker. 

Gladys, Lady Lonsdale, is one of the loveliest women in London. 
She takes an interest in everything — arts, science, politics; surrounds 
herself with clever people; and, regardless of their rank, admits 
Bohemians of the pen and pencil. She has taste, some reading, 
and very high aspirations— indeed a varnish of all things; and 1 
should no more allow myself to criticise the depth of her knowledge 
than the size of her feet. 

At the moment 1 write to you, a marriage between Lady Lons- 
dale and Lord De Grey is announced. 

Her rival, Lady Londonderry, is also a beauty, and very fascinat- 
ing, although her haughty manners give offense to those who would 
otherwise be her friends. Lady Londonderry is an excellent hostess, 
and takes a great interest in sport. 

Lady Cadogan is among those women of whom it is said, with 
serene indifference, that they are "perfectly charming." Lord 
Cadogan must appear among the sportsmen, a role in which he dis- 
tinguishes himself. At the lounger Court he holds a secondary 
rank. He possesses some literary ability. His house is pleasant, 
he gives good dinners, and his invitations are much prized. 

Lady Mandeville can not be described in negations; her qualities 
are all of a positive kind, and so much good and so much ill is said 
of her that she becomes interesting at once. She is clever and pretty, 
but has no taste in dress. She is an American, but has Spanish 
blood in her veins. She is called " the pretty Lady Mandeville " — 
but she is bewitching rather than pretty. She is a good musician, 
and very intimate with the greatest artists, especially in faris. 

Viscount Mandeville, her husband, is the eldest son of the Duke 
of Manchester. Viscount Mandeville has sat in Parliament as a 
Conservative, but the reporters never seem to have noticed his pres- 
ence. He is an excellent shot and a good horseman. 

Lord Dudley, of whom more hereafter, went once to the House 
f Lords, on taking his seat, and made a short speech. Since then 
he has been so occupied with foreign princes, religion, pictures, 
social meetings, the opera, etc., that he has never found time to re- 
appear there. He has a reputation for munificence, and a gigantic 
fortune. 

Although paralyzed, Lord Dudley never misses a single represen- 
tation at the Italian Opera during the season, and at his country- 
houses he receives royal and princely guests, He possesses a re- 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 1? 

markable gallery of pictures, and often lends his house to artists for 
their concerts.* 

I have never known a more perfect woman than Lady Dudley, 
and I can not speak of her without emotion. She is the petted 
child of London society. She is supremely beautiful, and admired 
by all who approach her; but no breath has dared to assail her repu- 
tation, and she has made her home noble and respected. Her de- 
votion to her husband is sublime; she has never left him foi an 
hour since he has been struck down by illness. With every great 
and noble quality, she has also the more humble ones. Her power 
of organization is wonderful. She is an excellent manager, and 
understands business as well as any man. 

The Earl ot Dalhousie, commander of the " Britannia, " was a 
brave sailor, very remarkable on boaid ship; but he was so impru- 
dent as to try and turn himself into a politician, and even his up- 
rightness and the sincerity of his Liberal opinions have been power- 
less to secure his success. He has met with nothing but defeat in 
the political world. He is a very honorable man, and the worthy 
representative of an illustrious family. Like many other philan- 
thropic landlords, Lord Dalhousie has remitted the rents of his 
tenants in tines of distress. 

The Countess ot Dalhousie is a very beautiful and bewitching 
woman, but she has one great defect: she is not natural. All her 
gestures, all her movements are artificial. Her want of tact, a 
social virtue which means keeping one's self in the background, has 
alienated many of her friends. 

Lord Alington, whom his friends call " Bunny," bursts into a 
room like a gust of wind; he is the life and soul of society; he is 
gay, happy, sprightly, never without a bit of news, quite equal to 
inventing some if there is none to hand, and a capital story-teller. 
He is an inveterate sportsman, and divides his time between the turf, 
wheie he has hitherto won neither money nor popularity, and the 
meritorious task of amusing his friends. Disraeli called him " the 
champagne of society." 

Lord and Lady Alington's dinners are the best given in London, 
except those of Lord and Lady Cadogan. The Prince of "Wales is 
a frequent guest at these banquets, and does honor to them with his 
heartiest appetite. 

The Duchess of Manchester, who is known as the Duchess, was 



* The sudden death of the Earl of Dudley took place while this work was in 
the press, 



18 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

universally admitted to be the best-dressed woman in England, and 
her taste is certainly unrivaled. She has been one of the greatest 
beauties of the century, and well worthy of all the homage rendered 
her; for to the charms of her person she added intellectual powers. 
The tew political gatherings she has held, such as the farewell din- 
ner to Lord Duiferin, make me regret that she has not a political 
salon ; it would be a Court and a Parliament in one. 

The Duchess is both too prudent and too high-minded to speak ill 
of her neighbor. She excels in making other people talk without 
committing herself. She knows all Europe, and if her fortune al- 
lowed it, she would have the most varied and the most brilliant cir- 
cle in the whole world. 

The Duke, her husband, now passes a great part of his life in 
Australia, and is known for the efforts he makes to amalgamate all 
the races of the British Empire. He is an ardent politician, with 
very decided views. 

The Duke borrows his opinions from no one; they are all the off- 
spring of his own mind, and he is wedded to them. He is frank, 
simple, without pride, without affectation of any kind, and a pleas- 
ant companion. 

1 shall conclude this letter with a few words respecting the 
Dowager Lady Aylesbury, or, as she is called in the English style, 
Maria, Marchioness of Aylesbury. This strange personage, who is 
much liked by the Princess of Wales, and indeed by the whole 
Court, possesses astounding energy. She is a human whirlwind, 
and has discovered the secret of perpetual motion; in fact, 1 am not 
sure that she is not to be found in two or three places at onc^. If 
a party were given without her, 1 believe she would instantly ex- 
pire. She is more original than the great Irving and the astonishing 
Sims Reeves. Yet she is a true, great lady, with a kind heart and 
a generous hand, and much beloved. She knows everything and 
amuses everybody; the mere sight of her is enough to drive away 
low spirits. 

As soon as August begins, Lady Aylesbury has to start on the 
round of visits that fill her engagement-book, and for six months 
she goes from one country-house to another, bringing life and ani- 
mation wherever she appears, aud making herself most welcome. 
Her seventy-four years have in no wise quenched her spirits. 

But 1 must cease, or I shall fill a whole letter with Lady Ayles- 
bury, and you would never stop me, she is so amusing, 



THfi SOCIETY OF LONDOH. 19 



FOURTH LETTER. 

HER MAJESTY'S HOUSEHOLD. 

Inclusive of all the sinecures on the Civil List, nine hundred 
and thirty-one persons (not including domestics) are attached to the 
service of Queen Victoria. The mere enumeration of their titles is 
interesting. 1 will only take as a specimen the Lord Chamberlain's 
department. The noble lord is at the head of all the Queen's officers, 
except those belonging to the bedchamber. He has such a number 
of functions that he could not fulfill them it he were not piovided 
with a strong staff of subalterns. 

The happy occupier of this post is at present Lord Kenmare. Born 
a courtier and a Catholic, Lord Kenmare is devoted to the Court 
and his creed. In politics he is still waiting for his opportunity. 
Loid Kenmare is an agreeable companion and a good shot, and 
knows how to be dignified when occasion requires. 

The mission of the Vice-chamberlain is to assist the Chamberlain, 
but he transfers this heavy burden to the Comptroller of Accounts, 
who passes it on to an inspector; the inspector gets it done by three 
clerks, aided by a number of assistant clerks. After the Chamber- 
lain comes the Queens treasurer and private secretary; the latter 
post is occupied by General Sir Henry Ponsonby, who is much liked 
and greatly respected. His position is a delicate and most impor- 
tant one, although its duties are accomplished in an unobtrusive man- 
ner that deprives them of public appreciation. Sir Henry Ponsonby 
was f oimerly one of Prince Albert's equerries. He is fifty-eight 
years of age, and has been the Queen's secretary tor fifteen years, 
and for seven the keeper of her privy purse. The latter function 
entails a task on him which he .performs very conscientiously, viz., 
that of receiving all the petitions for relief addressed to her Majesty. 
About a thousand of these are admitted to consideration every year. 

It ma\ be said that Sir Henry Ponsonby is a power in the State; 
his perfect knowledge of the machinery of Government, and his not 
less valuable acquaintance with the character of the Queen, her 
wishes and her opinions, the necessity tor all matters passing through 
his hands, have created an exceptional position for him, and give 
him great importance with the party in power. His opinion is al- 
ways listened to, and he is often consulted about the matters to be 
submitted to the Queen. 



20 THE SOCIETY OP LOHDOtf. 

The duties of a master of ceremonies, an assistant master, a mar- 
shal, eight aides-decamp, eight lords-in-waiting, assisted by a num- 
ber of supernumeraries, are to eat the Queen's dinners, and to make 
up a proper number at her table. Afterward come four gentlemen 
ushers of the privy chamber, one black-rod, three gentlemen ushers 
with substitutes, who really do the work,, tour grooms of the privy 
chamber, who on grand occasions stand on the staircases or in cor- 
ridors where the Queen is to pass, eight gentlemen ushers, and eight 
sergeants-at-arms. The Master of Ceremocies, General Sir Francis 
Seymour, was the attendant shadow ot Prince Albert, and got the 
nickname of Albertazzi. He is a brave soldier, whose sight was in- 
jured in the Crimea, so that ever since he has worn an eye-glass in 
one eye; this gives a stern appearance to the most amiable of men. 
Sir John Cowell, Master of the Queen's Household, is the former 
tutor of the Duke of Edinburgh, a man very much respected, and 
whom her Majesty calls " The Pope." 

There are a crowd of other dignitaries— heralds, bodyguards, 
pages, inspectors, the master of the tennis court, the Queen's boat- 
man, the keeper of the swans, the grand falconer, etc. The list is 
so long that 1 must cut it short and hasten to speak of the ladies. 

The ranks of the ladies-in-waiting, ladies of the bedchamber, etc., 
are recruited from among the noblest families of the English 
aristocracy . 

The Mistress of the Robes, whose prerogatives correspond to those 
of the Lord Chamberlain, and whose office must be conferred by 
the Government, is now the Duchess of Roxburghe, daughter-in- 
law to the Do wagei -duchess, who is the Queen's most intimate 
friend. Afterward come the maids of honor and ladies-in-waiting 
to her Majesty, her favorites among whom are the Dowager-mar- 
chioness of Ely, the Dowager-duchess of Athole, and Jane, Lady 
Churchill. 

The Queen is much attached to the Marchioness of Ely. 

The Duchess of Athole, a Scotchwoman, also stands high in the 
Royal favor. 

Lady Churchill, who is a great favorite with the Queen, is a very 
distinguished and amiable person. 

1 will once more mention the Queen's faithful friend and adviser, 
the Duke of Richmond, for whom she has great esteem. In the 
world the Duke and Duchess are not much known, for they mix 
but little in society ; perhaps they feel themselves too old-fashioned 
for the present day. 

One word in conclusion about a strange personage who may be 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 2 1 

seen everyday taking his solitary walk in St. James's _Park, and 
wfo believes himself to be tbe Duke ot f oueeste, Tb, o d g ^ 
tleman who looks about eighty years ot age, is ™ n f rf ""yJ lke 
George IV . and still wears the costume ol that period. He says, 
with smeere conviction and tbe greatest calmness, to anynody who 
;" 1 e to him, that, as Duke of Gloucester, he ought to have 
luoceadod William IV., but that, out of deference and gallantry 
he TaToaaed his righis to Queen Victoria. Every year, on the 
Queen's birthday, he goes to Windsor, and some one belonging to 
,h Telle gives h m a dinner in the best hotel of the place when be 
drinks to the health of her Majesty with a gravity that ,s at once 
e mfcal and touching. He is firmly convinced that at he death 
tbe Oueen he is to ascend the throne. It may be, after all, that he 
ha^omesortof indirect relationship to the royal family. Except 
to tZdelusion he is perfectly sane, and he is allowed undtspuced 
liberty. 

FIFTH LETTER. 

THE HOUSEHOLD OF THE PKINCE OF WALES. 

Wong those attached to the household ot the Prince of Wales 1 
m " mention .he Marquis of Hamilton. Lady Ham, itom who 
^eganee of manner is proverbial, is especially intimate with the 
Princess of Wales. Lord and Lady Suffield are very much re- 
suected and that is all 1 have to say about them. 

M Co^kerell one ot the grooms of the bed-chamber, is a walking 
enfyclop'dia 1 awit whose brilliant jokes would make asaint 
Si Four equerries are attached to the service of he Prince; 
rot tblse are Col. Stanley Clarke, f °f»*>f ^„f S 
of Wales when she travels without her husband, and Col. Elis, 
etuaTte ?n!ll matters ot taste. He is consulted on every question 
of improvement, decoration, ornamentation, furniture, hangings, 
Ptp and is called " the artistic equerry." 

Col T esdale was in the Crimea, and gallantly defended Lars. 
Every' year, on the anniversary of the siege, his health IB drunk. 

The lourth equerry is Mr. Wilson, a capital fellow and a delight- 

1U Th e m Mal°r n of the Horse, Colonel Kingsco.e, is distinguished for 
his taste tor agriculture. He is a very handsome man, very d.stni- 

^toSaTthe Duke ot Beaufort, possess, the finest 
stud in England, and shall have a place in my letter on sport. 



%% THE SOCIETY OF LOHDOtf. 

The Prince's librarian and German secretary, Herr Hokmanh, is 
an earnest, learned man, who seldom speaks; but when he does, he 
is a most animated auct amusing talker. 

Mr. Francis Knollys may be called the fag of the Piince's house- 
hold; he has to bear all the discontent and ill humor of those who 
have not succeeded in getting an invitation, or who have been re- 
fused some request. As private secretary to the Prince, he is sup- 
posed to De the willing instrument of all omissions and disappoint- 
ments, while, in reality, the Prince keeps his own list, indicates the 
persons to be invited, and controls everything that is done in his 
name. Such a position as that held by Mr. Knollys is very diffi- 
cult; and although he is goodness, kindness, and amiability per- 
sonified, he has to bear a good deal of reproach. 

The Prince has a tew friends, among whom Mr. Charles Hall, 
Admiral Sir Harry Keppel, Mr. Christopher Sykes, Lord Charles 
Beresford, and Sir Charles Carrington are equally favored. 

Mr. Charles Hall is an excellent lawyer, but not exactly a courtier, 
in spite of his conscientious and persevering attempts to transform 
himself into one. 

The gravest, and, at the same time, the most amusing man in the 
world, is Mr. Chiistopher Sykes, the Prince's best and most faith- 
ful friend. His intense earnestness in the Jeux innocents, which 
the royal pair much affect, is comical to th2 last degree, and nothing 
is so funny as his gravity. He is an indispensable person on every 
visiting list, and not to know him would prove that you had never 
set foot in an English drawing-room. He is a great favorite with 
the ladies. He belongs to the best clubs, gives exquisite dinners 
and sumptuous entertainments at Doncaster, where his hospitality is 
unrivaled. If he has a defect, it is that he is too perfect a courtier; 
but that is his nature, and does not, 1 think, explain his constant 
melancholy, for his cordial appreciation by the Prince and Princess 
is well known. 

Sir Dighton Probyn, comptroller and treasurer to the Prince, 
made a romantic marriage. He went to India, leaving behind a lady 
whom he loved, and when he returned to England thirty years later 
he found her faithful to the memory of her early love, and still will- 
ing to marry him. He was the first to decorate his house with the 
blue china that has since become so fashionable. He is a great 
sportsman and a perfect Hercules. At the time of the Prince's visit 
to India, a native showing some hostile intentions, Sir Dighton 
seized him by the throat and hurled him out of the crowd. 

The Princess of Wales, as 1 have already said, has Miss Knollys 



THE SOCIETY OE LONDON. 23 

to. her lady-in-waiting and particular friend. Among the other 
adiefof her household 1 will only mention Lady Macclesfield on 
account ot an anecdote that 1 wish to tell you When *£**% 
of the Princess was expected, preparations had been made at Mart- 
borough House, hut the event took place .ather prematurely wh e 
the Princess was at Frogmore. She had been out looking at the 
Uatfrs, when she was taken suddenly ill. There was nedher nurse 
nor doctor at hand, ana Lady Macclesfield had to act as both until 
a doctor was procured from Windsor. 

All the Queen's children are fond of the theater, and go here 
frequently The Prince and Princess of Wales may be sard to be 
the special patrons of the drama, for they take much interest in it. 
and give it their countenance and support. During a representa- 
tion tlae Piiuce is absorbed in the piece. The Princess ,s less inter- 
ested, and divides her attention between the stage and the house. 

SIXTH LETTER. 

THE PRIME-MINISTER. 

In order to form a correct opinion ot Mr. Gladstone whom his 
fanatical admirers have named "the Grand Old Man," and the 
working classes call "the People's William," it is necessary no 
only to study his remarkable character in its successive phases and 
taLalternetloae of government end opposition, but also. o complete 
one's observation by a supplement judgment of his rival, Lord 
Beaconsfield It is impossible to speak ot the one without speaking 
rftbTother, and their antagonism, which is imputed to party 
rivalry really originated in the diversity of two natures marked by 
moral and physical contrasts, which must necessar.ly nave forced 
them into opposite lines ot action. _ 

Lord Beaconsfield, thin, slender, and aristocratic, a single lock of 
hair on his forehead, his eyes dimmed with weariness and thought 
his month contracted by painful struggles and lost illusions, had 
the languid gait of a man whose strength has been exhausted by in- 
cessant mental activity. Mr. Gladstone, on the contrary, has bold 
features a grand, commanding brow, an air of authority, a resolute 
mien- yet, strange to say, although he is often carried away by irre- 
sistible impulses, he has not the boldness ot bis adversary. His 
opinions are moderate, his projects prudent. His experience , ot 
affairs makes him very useful in all questions of home politics But 
he has no flights of fancy; heioflows the march ot events and )o<*9 



24 THE SOCIETY OF LONDOK. 

on at the accomplishment ot a fact as a scientific man watches tue 
development ot a germ, in order to classify it. In short, he has no 
creative power. He does not direct politics, but submits to them 
like the mass of mankind, and thus he is logically diiven to con- 
form to the ruling opinion of the nation. He is a genuine opport- 
unist, and it has been said of him that he is a mixture of Cromwell 
and Gambetta. 

Mr. Gladstone is not, like Lord Salisbury, the apostle of a definite 
fixed opinion, nor, like Mr. Bright, the advocate ot change of 
opinion so soon as a better has been found; but at heart, and uncon- 
sciously, he is governed by this latter theory of pure opportunism. 
He follows the stream without ever being above it, like Mr. Bright, 
or below it, like Lord Salisbury. He excels in giving a legislative 
torm to the policy adopted by the nation, in establishing order 
among complex and multiplied details, and in producing from them 
a clear, skillfully-drawn-up whole, and in getting it accepted by 
Parliament by dint of his inexhaustible resources of explanation 
and argument. 

Instead of governing the country by Parliament, he governs Par- 
liament by the country. 

He has a great mind, is always eager to learn, capable of confess- 
ing his past errois with candor, and avowing his incompetency in 
questions that he has not studied; he willingly accepts advice (Stuart 
Mill was much valued by him), and he listens to that of Mr. Bright. 
He loves progress, possesses a certain enthusiasm for humanity, it 
a great partisan of Free-trade, of equality of religions and sects, of 
a wide extension of the suffrage and independent voting. He is 
patient and scrupulous, indefatigable in agitation. In the latter' he 
resembles Gambetta. His eloquence is impulsive, grand, powertuls 
bitter, and merciless to all the errors of his opponents. But all the 
qualities which he displays in opposition seem to vanish the momen, 
he assumes power. In grave questions he then appears undecided 
and ambiguous; the extreme fluency of his speeches can not conceal 
the confusion of his ideas, nor any amount of vehemence cover the 
real hesitation of his mind. Very fertile in resources, and always 
ready to vindicate himself, he has the support of the people, but 
rather from taste and instinctive liking chan from any well-founded 
admiration. He has been called a Revolucionary, but that he is 
not; and he has also been accused, though falsely, of being at the 
same time a friend of the Jesuits and the Internationalists. It has 
even been said that he was a mysterious link between those two en- 
§mies of Church and State, 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOK. 



25 



He is an honest man, without any regaid tor parties, uninfluenced 
by personal considerations. His noble, upright life was formerly 
rigidly ruled by sincere convictions; but into the rectitude ot his 
intelligence, into the loftiness of his soul, popularity has cast strange 
elements that have diverted him from his original path. Proud and 
irritable, even haughty, too conscious of his own great worth, he 
has gradually fallen into exclusiveness, has become devoted to sys- 
tem, and intoierant, so that his patriotism, hitherto so pure, has 

been impaired. --Ji. *t 

The rather limited horizon oE his ideas would have made him the 
head of a party that was stationary, or only slowly dragged along by 
the current of progress. He would have been an apostle ot calm 
and abnegation, a resolute partisan of social and political economy. 
This unrivaled financier, but a Scotchman-and consequently with 
narrow views on economic questions-was he really the man whom 
the Liberals should have chosen, and intrusted with the vast desti- 
nies of their programme? 

His adversaries dispute his right to the title of statesman, and 
assert that his intellectual weight as a scholar and a philosopher pre- 
ponderates over his powers as a ruler; that his politics are theoret- 
ical while Lord Beacousfield's were practical; that his success is due 
to his eloquence, his dexterity in Parliamentary conflict, and his 
sympathetic manners. . 

In serious struggles, when his interest or that of his party is at 
stake he can condense his arguments, usually too diffuse, and make 
a concise speech. When he wants to elude a direct reply, few men 
can wander from the point more cleverly than he. With less 
subtlety less skill, less power of oratory, many of his mistakes 
would have been avoided. Facility of expression is with him a 
dangerous gift; his language is elevated, majestic, and, except in a 
few & rare cases, vague, without precision. It is veiled in a kind of 
- cloud that deceives the orator himself as well as his audience. He 
* has been sometimes known to lose himself in digressions so foreign 
' to the matter in hand that he has suddenly taken refuge in argu- 
ments flagrantly contradictory ot his fundamental doctrines. So 
that he arrives at the demonstration he is seeking, the means by 
which he gets there matter little to him; thus his conclusions are 
sometimes a total inversion of his propositions. He has also often 
injured his own cause, and both his enemies and his friends are jus- 
tified in their judgment on him. Earl Russell, whom he replaced as 
head of the Liberal party, accused him ot having, by his foreign 
policy " tarnished the national honor, injured the national interests, 



26 THE SOCIETY OF LOXDOtf. 

and lowered the national character." He is also reproached with, 
never knowing at what resolution to stop, and with being tne dan- 
gerous chameleon of a party. Many members of that party repudi- 
ate his policy. 

Lord Beaconsfield was especially pitiless to him, and defined him 
as " a sophistical rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his 
own verbosity, and gifted with an egotistical imagination that can 
at all times command an interminable, an inconsistent series of argu- 
ments to malign his opponents and to glorify himself." It is a curi- 
ous thing that he is generally reproached with the want of sagacity 
of which he accused the French nation in the articles that he wrote 
during the war of 1870. What can not be disputed is his personal 
worth, his marvelous scientific acquirements, his profound and 
skillful writings, which place him in the first rank of scholars, think- 
ers, and authois. At twenty-tnree years of age, after a journey in 
Italy, the first essays that he published were so remarkable that they 
awakened general sympathy and attention. 

In this portrait many harsh estimates of a man who is yet 
worshiped like a demi-god are reproduced. Let us try to disentangle 
the true faults, amid the rancor and jealousy of party. Here comes 
naturally the chasse-croise of the two policies, and of the two minis- 
ters who have in turn governed England since 1868. In the begin- 
ning, the present chief of the "Whigs was a Tory, and Lord Beacons- 
field, who afterward became the leader of the Tories, was a Liberal. 
Mr. Gladstone called himself a Conservative, but he deceived him- 
self; Liberalism was the very ground- work of his character, and in 
his first writings, full of warmth and enthusiasm, it is impossible 
not. to detect the inevitableness of a speedv conversion. His com- 
panion, who traveled with him in Italy, said at the time, " Tne depth 
of Radicalism that unconsciously exists in this young head can not 
be doubted." His conversion was only the sudden discovery of his 
true tendencies. 

Can the same be said of Lord Beaconsfield, then simply Mr. Dis- 
iaeli? It must be admitted that it can not. In the middle of an 
election, seeing that his Liberal candidature in Kent was going to be 
a failure, he boldly went and offered himself to the Conservath es of 
another county. The audaciousness of the thing was complete, but 
Mr. Gladstone's adversary never hesitated at any act of audacity or 
startling boldness. He then wore long; ringlets, and was bedizened 
witn jewelery. Handsome, and a " dandy," he pleased the aristoc- 
racy by his elegant manners, and charmed them by his romantic 
style Feeling himself more at home in this circle, where he wag 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 27 

warmly welcomed and helped on, he never again quitted it. Mr. 
Disraeli always mingled a little charlatanism with his politics, or let 
us rather say a little romanticism. He made a kind ot literature 
which enchanted the foolish and added to his prestige by adorning 
common things with grand words. You will remember the sonorous 
phrase that he brought back from the Congress of Berlin, " Peace 
with Honor!" 

Up to this point the advantage is with Mr. Gladstone; let us now 
enter into the details of the political career of the present Prime- 
minister, and see him at work. His political horizon is bounded 
by the United Kingdom ; beyond the British Isles he can see nothing. 
The famous doctrine ot non-intervention, which for the last forty 
years has been preached in Europe, never nad a more valiant cham- 
pion than Mr. Gladstone, except, perhaps, Louis Philippe. His 
contempt for foreign policy has made him sacrifice the interests of 
his country abroad. He is not an admirer of the colonial power of 
Great Britain— he says so frankly to any one who will listen to him 
— and a few years ago he ventured to write in the " Nineteenth cent- 
ury " that " the turn of America had come, and that England must 
resign herself to descend to the level of Holland." 

His foreign policy, founded on such principles, was bound to be 
logical ; in fact it is summed up in its chief features by the loss of 
the Transvaal and Afghanistan, by the strained relations with 
Europe, estranged by him, and by his disastrous campaign in Egypt. 
All this is indeed the work of a non-interventionist, but also of a 
weak strategist in the conflict of nations. 

Mr. Gladstone has been more successful in his home government. 
He has skillfully reconciled public needs and taxation; he has abol- 
ished the disgraceful "purchase" system that reflected upon the 
honor of the British army. He has opposed drunkenness by a law 
severely enforced, although still insufficient, on the hours of closing 
public-houses. He sent the Prince of Wales to India to soothe the 
legitimate discontent, and to rekindle the sympathies ot a people 
whom his pity, too slowly moved, had left to struggle with a ter- 
rible famine. 

Ireland owes to him a most equitable measure, the disestablish- 
ment of a Protestant Church in a Catholic country. 

Among the real reforms of Mr. Gladstone may be cited the Fran- 
chise bills. By giving the right ot voting even to the lowest strata 
of the population, and by resting the vote on the basis ol taxation 
and of property, he has infused fresh blood into the effete body of 
electors, 



28 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

His administration has not been always free from tentative efforts, 
and here, as elsewhere, there are inconsistencies to record. He 
has, therefore, not been spared proposed votes of censure. In 1872 
he escaped one with some difficulty, when the indignant House ac- 
cused him of having violated the laws, and exercised patronage in 
the nomination of Sir Robert Collier to the Judicial Committee of 
the Privy Council. He was accused the following month by the 
Parliament and by the University of violating the statutes by ap- 
pointing Ihe Rev. W. W. Harvey to the Rectory of Ewelme. Some 
of his tergiversations are flagrant. After having strongly opposed 
the admission of Jews to Parliament, he strongly supported the bill 
that Lord Russell brought forward a few months later to admit 
them. Shoitly after a magnificent discourse in favor of liberty of 
speech, he adjured the House, on the 11th of June, 1880, to refuse 
it to Mr. O'Donnell, who wished to put a question to 1he Govern- 
ment concerning the new French Embassador, M. Challemel-Lacour. 
How many times after having made a vote a Cabinet question has 
he submitted to do without it and to remain in powei ! 

Unlike Count Bismarck, he does not possess the art of ruling men 
whom he fears, or who may offer some opposition to his policy; so 
he lulls them into security and deceives them. 

Mr. Gladstone may be summed up in a few words. He is ex- 
cellent in home government, but fatal in foreign affairs. 

With bis intimate friends he is a charming talker; he listens, and 
speaks with grace and discretion, and even when he has a right to 
make an assertion on some learned question, he does it without 
pedantry. 

This old man of seventy-five still wields the woodman's ax in his 
moments of leisure, and one of his little vanities, often mentioned, 
is to cut down a tree in the presence of his guests at Hawarden. 
He is frequently presented with an axe. 

He is a sturdy pedestrian, thinks little of walking ten or twelve 
miles, and in spite of dynamitards goes about the streets of London 
on foot. A short time ago he was nearly run over while he' ping a 
blind man to cross Piccadilly. 



THJB SOCIETY OF LONDON. 29 



SEVENTH LETTER. 

THE MINISTRY. 

The contention that always existed between Lord Beaconsfield and 
Mr. Gladstone assumed epic proportions at certain moments. 
Rather more than five years ago Lord Beaconsfield, thin King he 
held tne country in his hand, fancied the time well chosen for dis- 
solving Parliament and calling a general election. He was so cer- 
tain of finding himself called to the head of affairs for the next 
seven years that he forced that conviction on the minds of two very 
different men, Prince Bismarck and M. Gambetta. 

Two women only, Mme. de Novikoff, in Moscow, and Mme. 
Adam, in Paris, predicted Mr. Gladstone's triumph, in spite of his 
personal doubts. Mme. de Novikoff founded her opinion on the 
conviction that the thirty-two seats lost by the Liberal party during 
Mr. Gladstone's last administration could not be definitely lost. 
Lord Beaconsfield forgot that in 1874 his victory was due to the 
fact that " beer " and V Bible," that is, the army of publicans, and 
the not less formidable army of sectarians, had made common cause 
with each other. The former yielded to an impulse of ill-humor; 
the latter, tired of the Liberals, who had irritated them by the 
Education Bill and the School Board, wanted to try the Conserva- 
tives. Mme. Adam, at the time of Mr. Gladstone's visit to Paris, 
said, in a conversation with him at M. Girardin's, that Lord Bea- 
consfield would be led to make the election on an Imperial question, 
and that whatever sophistry was employed, England would never 
understand monarchy except in the royal form. At the conclu- 
sion of this interview Mme. Adam had a discussion on the same 
subject with M. Gambetta, who was supporting the cause of Lord 
Beaconsfield in the " Republique Francaise," as Prince Bismarck 
was doing at Berlin. 

" You are wrong," said M. Gambetta, " to support Mr. Glad- 
stone; he will be beaten to a mummy." 

"1 believe in Mr. Gladstone's success," she asserted, "and 1 
maintain it in all that I write. Besides, 1 run much less risk with 
him than you do with Lord Beaconsfield. It Mr. Gladstone is 
beaten, 1 am beaten with a Liberal; that is to say, with a friend. 
If you are beaten with Lord Beaconsfield, that is much more seri- 
ous; for you are beaten with an enemy." 



30 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

At the moment of the elections a sudden change took place in 
public opinion. Mr. Gladstone aroused the Liberal North, and 
carried it along with him. Orators of his party devoted themselves 
to magnifying to the electors the errors of the Ministers in power— 
a very easy task, and one that seldom fails of its effect. 

The Tory orators themselves, those who felt the loss of their 
votes, lent their aid. Truths kept seciet during the sessions of 
Parliament were disclosed by the malcontents, and the Liberals as- 
serted that their enemies, by not contradicting their assertions, con- 
firmed the truth of them. The sores of the State thus laid bare 
converted a certain number of voters, and the Liberals were victo- 
rious. 

Lord Beaconsfield died a short time afterward of grief at finding 
himself abandoned by his party. 

Mr. Gladstone, called to form a Ministry, found himself face to 
face with the bravos who had fought for him, and now held out 
their hand, claiming their share of the spoil. The formation of a 
Cabinet, in presence of the avidity of parties, was very difficult. 
It was necessary to satisfy the Center, the Left, and the Radicals. 
Sir Charles Dilke, the most popular among the Radicals, was 
thought of: but it was perceived that Chamberlain, the Republican, 
an ally of Sir Charles Dilke, had already been admitted. Sir 
Charles Dilke ceded the place, but was brought in later, when the 
Cabinet had progressed so far that several of its members were left 
behind it. 

These desertions were: the Duke of Argyll, who refused his as- 
sent to measures tending to injure lauded proprietors; Mr. Foister, 
the Chief Secretary for Ireland, who would not sanction the Gov- 
ernment's purchasing obedience to the law; Mr. Bright, who dis- 
agreed with Mr. Gladstone on the Eastern Question. 

The Ministry may be said to be entirely composed of men of 
mark. Lord Beaconsfield nearly always surrounded himself witn 
incompetent nonentities, who were eclipsed by his genius, and who, 
if the} 7 were not able assistants, had at least the advantage of being 
obedient auxiliaries. 

Mr. Gladstone, surrounded by men of worth and resolution, 
whom he can not eject, governed by the necessities of parties, 
driven into a corner by the princes of finance, who have their tools 
even in the ministerial ranks, finds both resources and obstacles 
around him; but, as he is as authoritative as his rival, he sometimes 
comes into conflict with persons who refuse to obey him. The first 
Lord of the Treasury, or Prime-minister, is, however, the highest 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOK. 31 

expression oi the executiv%power. All the departments are under 
his control— even the nominations made by other members of the 
Cabinet. 

The essence of the Cabinet being Liberal, and the Government, 
by the natural force of things, becoming more and more democratic, 
the mind of its members, ruled by individualism, resists its chief. 

The struggle for power between the present Prime- minister and 
Lord Beaconsfield always turned upon the laws ot Franchise. In 
1857 Mr. Gladstone had proposed a reform, but he took care to for- 
mulate it in such a fashion as not to include factory hands, whose 
votes were usually acquired by the Conservative party. Disraeli, 
a shrewd politician, beating his adversary with his own weapons, 
proposed to extend the bill, and thus, in a sense, made it more 
Liberal, and gave himself all the honor of the reform, wniie it 
served the interests of his party. Mr. Gladstone has just taken his 
revenge; to divert attention from his unfortunate foreign policy, he 
has profited by the agitation which stirs the masses from one end of 
England to the other. 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs is Lord Granville, and before 
speaking of him 1 must tell you a curious fact. In England, just 
as the First Lord of the Admiralty is never an admiral, nor the 
Secretary of State for 'War a general, so the head of the Foreign 
Office is never an embassador, and has never represented a country 
in the capitals of Europe. Thus the English Minister, not having 
any experience acquired on the spot, is ill-acquainted with the home 
politics of other countries. It is true that this leaves him n ore in- 
dependent, but perhaps it is one of the causes of the political egotism 
with which England is reproached. 

Lord Granville is a bond of union between parties, which he 
knows how to conciliate, between the colonies and the metropolis, 
which he has closely united, between England and Europe, whose 
relations he has greatly improved. He is to be thanked for the ces- 
sation of the busy-body policy of Lord Palmerston, with his mania 
for constant interference, and for having withdrawn into a wise 
reserve. He is a man of the world, even in politics, and has been 
called "the minister of good manners," the " court politician," and 
the "drawing-room statesman;" he has a gentle, caressing voice 
that he never raises or forces, even when savins the hardest and 
most cutting things; he never takes a combative tone, even to 
disarm or stab an adversary. He uses the weapon of speech with 
affability, almost with solicitude; he insinuates a sarcasm or inflicts 
a censure with perfect courtesy; no one knows better than he how 



32 THE SOCIETY OF LOtfDOtf. 

to oil the machinery of politics, and treat difficult affairs with per- 
fect grace. He is a man of prompt and decisive action, who can 
get rid of useless obstacles at a blow; he is just and firm, and to his 
slow patience, nearly allied to genius, he owes his success as a diplo- 
matist and as Liberal leader of the Upper House. His eloquence is 
not admirable, nor is his learning extraordinary^ but his conciliatory 
qualities give him an exceptional place wherever he goes. 

Lady Granville is a very great lady. She is seen to the greatest 
advantage on the evenings of the receptions at the Foreign Office, 
when at the top of the grand staircase she receives with a stately 
courtesy thousands of guests, for the most part unknown to her. 
Then she is really beautiful, with her grand air, heightened by her 
official position — this statuesque part suits hei admirably. 

It is true that Lord Granville is all kindness and gallantry: he is 
attentive to every one, and attracts the sympathies of all; his ex- 
quisite manners, his witty conversation, make him as attractive as 
if he was half a century younger. 

Lord Derby, who presides over the destinies of the colonies, owes 
his position to his immense fortune. He can not be accused of 
having disturbed the political situation by any brilliant feats. He 
is clever, and works very hard ; he asserted in 1864 that the Foreign 
Office gave him ten houis' work a day. Since then, to do unto him- 
self what, as a Liberal, he desired should be done unto other workers, 
he has shortened his hours of labor and has much relaxed liis efforts. 
Lord Derby makes good speeches, but they must be read to be ap- 
preciated, for his voice is inaudible in the Senate. He has good 
sense, and, still more, good luck; for it he had come into office at a 
moment of difficulty he would never have been noticed. His 
political career, however, began in 1848, when the people, tired of 
great men and popular causes, only wanted to " rest and be thank- 
ful." The public opinion accepted this unobtrusive person, who 
believes in nothing in particular, and is too prudent and even too 
timid ever to raise a question. It he had come in at any other mo- 
ment, he would not have won the prestige that belongs to success in 
youth. He is a Liberal- Conservative, or, rather, a skeptical Con- 
servative become Liberal. The steps that he has descended in join- 
ing the Opposition forbid his ever mounting the highest rungs of 
the political ladder. Ihe Radicals distrust him, and the moderate 
Liberals prefer Lord Haiti ngton and Lord Granville. He can help to 
increase the popularity of a Liberal Ministry if he makes no part of 
it. oi help in its downfall if he breaks away from it; but he can 
never be at the head of it. His long intimacy with Bright has al- 



THE SOCIETY OE LONDOK. 33 

ways remained an inexplicable mystery, unless it is their common 
passion for angling that has united them. Well iead, but without 
literary tastes, he takes more interest in science than in literature, 
lie has an excellent memory, and never forgets a face that he has 
once seen. He detests talent, and ruthlessly tramples on those of 
his subordinates who display any intellectual superiority. His 
creeds are elastic and doubtful; he smokes and drinks, but he is a 
bad lider, and no sportsman. He has declined the Order of the 
Garter. 

The Marquis of Hartington, Minister of War and future Duke of 
Devonshire, was chosen as leader of the Liberals when Mr. Glad- 
stone retired. He has a certain influence which then seemed likely 
to increase, but has not done so. His uprightness, his courage in 
manifesting his opinions, give nim weight; he will never make a 
great figure. He is not an orator, never excites enthusiasm ; he lacks 
humor, never jokes, and in the repot ts of his speeches the stpreo- 
t} r ped " laughter " never appears. He uses sincere and ingenious 
arguments, but does not succeed in convincing his hearers. His 
mind is vigorous and honest, but his nature is dry and cold. 

In society he is sometimes observed to laugh, but he was not made 
for the fashionable world, and he does not care to make himself 
agreeable in it. He is recognized everywhere by the way he wears 
his hat, forced down over his eyes. 

Sir Charles Dilke is the Gambetta of England: his clamorous 
beginning, his appeals to the Republic, will be remembered. But 
on taking his share of the heavy burden of power ne shook off some 
of his principles, and of his Radicalism has retained only a few ad- 
vanced opinions on agrarian questions, matters of education, and 
separation of Ohurcii and State. He made a great noise to frighten 
people, and they were afterward very much obliged to him for hav- 
ing reassured them. 

A clever politician, a man with real governing power, Sir Charles 
Dilke is one of those men who become greater as they rise, and he 
will be one of those who make England illustrious. He has become 
very diplomatic, and makes evasive answers so cleverly that they 
are quite models in their way. Courteous to his adversaries, fortu- 
nate in his undertakings, an advocate of peace, he enjoys general 
esteem. An indefatigable worker in all matters of thought, a highly 
informed man with just views and sound judgment, he has written 
Borne remarkable works, especially " Greater Britain," an unrivaled 
book on the colonies. 

The President of the Board of Trade ; Mr. Chamberlain, is a, 
g . 



34 THE SOCIETY OF LOSTDOH. 

Kadical Republican ot a similar tone to M. Clemenceau, and Mr. 
Gladstone has taken him into the Cabinet to secure the large 
majority that he has at his disposal, and to flatter an adversary who 
was more dangerous in his place in the House than in the council of 
the Ministers. However, in spite of his official position he has not 
feared to asR for an appeal to the people to settle the question of the 
separation of Church and State. In Parliament lie is ill at ease, but 
before his constituents he recovers himself; and nothing can be 
more curious, 1 will even say amusing, as it is not of our own 
country 1 am speaking, than to hear a Minister make revolutionary 
speeches. His programme h brief and definite: universal suffrage, 
equality of electoral districts, remuneration of members of Parlia- 
ment, and disestablishment of the Church. Mr. Chamberlain has 
no political past, and his fall may be as sudden as his elevation. He 
has made many enemies while in office; his Bankruptcy Bill was 
not a success; he has offended the ship-owners, who detest him; he 
is an embarrassment to the Ministry, unpopular among the working 
classes, and looked upon with suspicion by members of the Church. 

And yet he is a charming man very amiable, and much liked in 
society. He loves flowers, and what flowers do you suppose? The 
most beautiful, the most aristocratic, the most rare and costly — 
orchids! He cultivates every variety at his country-house, and has 
one of the finest collections in Europe. 

The Home Secretary, Sir W. Vernon Harcourt, a former jour- 
nalist, is known for his articles signed " Historicus," which pro- 
voked America. He treats his opponents with supreme indifference. 
A decided Liberal, and enjoying a certain popularity in Parliament, 
he has a strong intellect and is keen and witty. Very agreeable in 
society, a living collection ot anecdotes, he has a political salon of 
no great importance. 

Lord Selborne, Lord High Chancellor and President of the Upper 
House, is like the poets who live with their feet on earth and their 
head in heaven, a man of exalted piety, of austere virtue; his pure 
disinteiesteduess in the midst of the pettiness and meanness of par- 
ties makes him resemble Mr. Chamberlain's orchids that crow on 
the rugged bark of trees, and wnose bed is made of bioken crockery. 

1 have already spoken of Lord Spencer, the Viceroy Df Ireland. 
The Irish do justice to his manly qualities, even though they resist 
his policy. He is an excellent administrator and a man ot honor. 

Mr. Childers, Chancellor of the Exchequer, began by being First 
Lord of the ii.dmiralty, w T hich is a kind of trial or apprenticeship 
for the Ministry. He is put forward on all grand occasions. He 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDON". 35 

holds himself upright and has a very imposing deportment; he 
wears a handsome white beard. 

Lord Northbrook, First, Lord of the Admiralty, recently went to 
India, of which country he once was Viceroy, but he did not find 
any opportunity of distinguishing himself there. He belongs to the 
honorable house of Baring. As a Minister there is nothing excep- 
tional about him but his receptions. Lord Noilhbrook is a widower, 
and Lady Emma Baring, his charming daughter, does the honors 
of the Admiralty. 

The new Postmaster-general, Mr. Shaw-Lefevre, is an excellent 
speaker— one of the best and strongest champions of the Govern- 
ment, one of the most formidable adversaries of the Lords because 
of the justice and clearness of his arguments; but he will not efface 
the memory of Mr. Fawcett, his very clever predecessor. 

Mr. Mundella, Vice-president of the Committee of Council on 
Education, whose functions closely correspond to those of our Min- 
ister of Public Instruction, was, as a child, a poor factory boy, earn- 
ing three-and-sixpence a week; now lie is a Minister of merit. His 
knowledge certainly, has some gaps in it, but he can take the initia- 
tive, and has views of hia own. His thoughts, sometimes a little 
obscure, have the freshness, the flavor, the healthy aroma of a fruit 
that has not beeu forced in an artificial soil. 

Lastly comes Mr. Trevelyan, the nephew of Macaulay, ex-Secre- 
tary ot State foi Ireland and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. 
In the present Ministry he is the type of the man who is always 
ready. He is prepared at any moment to speak with intelligence 
and authority on no matter what subject. My horoscope ot him is 
that he will one day he leader of the Liberals and Prime-minister. 
An active, restless politician, he has a passion for work, and his 
lite is not long enough for all his occupations. He succeeds in 
everything he touches (except In Ireland), and therefore people take 
advantage of this, and overwhelm him with work. Always talk- 
ing, writing, interrogating, moving, running, walking, persuading, 
organizing, this valuable politician, who is not yet forty-six years 
old, writes, reads, makes speeches, indites leaders for newspapers, 
issues manifestoes and addresses, finds remedies for everything, 
and employs all his skill in getting them applied. He supports 
every bill that tends to the suppression of alcoholic drinks. 



THE SOCIETY OF 1XWDOK. 



EIGHTH LETTER. 

PARLIAMENT. — THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 

In Parliament the antagonism between Whigs and Tories, Liberals 
and Conservatives, has lost its primitive simplicity; the Liberals 
have produced the Radical party, and the Conservatives have to 
reckon with what is called the Fourth Party. 

Besides these groups, the two latest of which will one day be the 
most important, the Parliamentary battles ot the future being 
bound to take place between the Radicals and tne Fourth Party, 
there has been growing up in Parliament an obstructionist or Irish 
party. 

The old Tories are disappearing. The former Lord Derby was 
considered to be their last representative, but Lord Salisbury may 
more truly be called the latest survivor of that great party. There 
will always be Conservatives, but there will never be Tories any 
more. The new generation is trying to effect a reconciliation with 
members in the ranks of the enemy, and to form a mixed party 
that may be called Conservative-Libeial, a center which will become 
a force in the State, and that already iucludes Lord Derby and 
Lord Sherbrooke among the Peers, Mr. Goschen and Mr. Forster in 
the Commons, and a good many dissenters Irom the extreme of 
both parties. 

Lord Randolph Churchill will probably soon join this battalion, 
for he is in opposition to many of his own party, and may be in- 
scribed on the evolutionary list as a Radical-Conservative. 

1 should not be sui prised it he met Sir Charles Dilke in this 
center party one day; for being a Radical at the outset, but already 
left behind by the irreconcilables, he has wisely planted his tent 
among the Liberals. 

In this center the independent members are found, those who 
have a personal ambition, and who do not seek for favors. Capi- 
talists and brewer* brlong to it. Nearly all those who sell alcoholic 
beveraces are Conservatives, while teetotalers aie generally Liberal: 
beer is Conservative; tea, Liberal. 

We also find gravitating toward this center undecided members 
who are seeking their way, and still hesitate between the attractions 
of the two parties. 

You do not expect me, I imagine, to explain to you "what sep- 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



37 



urates Liberals fioiG Conservatives. To define their limits is quite 
beyond my power, and 1 have never known an English elector who 
could explain to me rationally why he belonged to one party ratter 
than to the other. Liberal does not mean Republican, and many 
poople are Conservative who have nothing to " conserve/' The 
more I see ot their operations, the less am 1 able to distinguish be- 
tween them, especially iiom the views of their representatives. 
There is rather a difference of personal opinion and ol political an- 
tagonism than of questions of reiorni an:i of true national interest, 
and the proof ot this is that the two parties when in power ob- , 
tain identical results. .. . . ' 

If one were to diaw up a list of the differences and simdanties 
of opinion of Whins and Tories in the past, and the means employed 
by each for getting up agitation, earnest methodical England, and 
the admirable English Pa.liamentary system, that so far surpasses 
all European Paihaments, would become subjects of universal 
amusement. English parties are saved from being regarded with 
ridicule not by the width of the gulf that separates them, but bv the 
passion that leading nun infuse into politics, and the gigantic efforts 
they make. That passion and those efforts inspire ihe people with 
the idea that the obstacle between the two representative parties is 
ten ibly difficult to clear. 

lundeistand the feeling of caste in the Conservative party, and 
the interest the aristocracy have in maintaining their privileges. Wo 
doubt they can gain nothing by oversowing the past, and destroy- 
ing every "vestige of it; but a Conservative publican appears to me 
highly comical, unless the said publican is the happy but unenviable 
recipient of electioneering favors. Colonial expansion, springing 
from internal difficulties, and furnishing a sourct of coveied employ- 
ment makes the basis ot Tory polities. Liberals are supposed to 
represent social retoims and the democratic part ot the nation. , 

As 1 have mentioned the Fourth Party, 1 must tell you what it 
is About five years ago, a parly of advanced young Conservatives 
constituted and established itself. Disgusted by the increasing de- 
generacy of the old Tory party, after the defection of S r Robert 
Peel and irritated at the oliga.chical tyranny ot Sir Stafford Norih- 
cote' Sir Richard Cross, and their associates. Lord Randolph 
Churchill and a few of his friends lesolved to throw off the yoke. 
They set energetically to work, traced out a line of conduct, and 
heroically bore the combined attack of their adversaries and of their 
iurious co-Conservatives, and gained a victory over Sir Stafford 
Hortkcote, Mr. Foster, and the Chahman of Committees. At the 



38 THE SOCIETY OF LOSTDOH. 

end of the session they had taken up their position; the oligarchy 
was destroyed; the old Tories had thenceforth to reckon with the 
young ones; the Fourth Party was formed. The principal members 
were Lord Randolph Churchill, its creator and leader; Sir Druin- 
montl Wolff, a skillful diplomatist; Mr. Balfour, a hard worker, 
and the resolute champion of property; and Mr. Gorst, an organizer 
and a lawyer. Mr. Balfour has lately shown some signs of falling 
off; but whatever happms, the Conservative party of the future has 
a name; it is called a Conservative Democracy. 

Tne present Speaker of the House of Commons is the son of the 
great Sir Robert Peel, who brought about the abolition of the corn- 
laws, the first great triumph of free-trade. 

Other candidates have been i ejected for various reasons, and Mr. 
G>>sohen, who had some chance, refused the post of honor in order 
to preserve his independence. Mr. Peel is a moderate .Liberal; he 
had not made himself known as a politician, and was not worn out. 
For nineteen yeais he has paid unwearied attention to the Secre- 
tary's woik of the different ministries, and he is thoroughly ac- 
quainted with official business. He is a wise, earnest man, without 
any peisonal ambition, full of tact and energy, and firm without 
obstinacy. His impartiality commands respect, and the only re- 
proach that can be directed against him resembles praise; it is, that 
from the strength of his convictions, and his periect independence, 
he is not accommodating, and that he carries firmness to the point 
of disdain for its results. 

Sir Stafford Northcote, the leader of the Conservatives, is no 
longer young, and the moment is approaching when he must cede 
his place If Mr. Edward Stanhope's health permitted, although he 
is thought too modest, he would be designated as the successor of 
a superannuated chief. But a star of the first magnitude is appear- 
ing in the Conservative party, Lord George Hamilton. He is thirty- 
nine years of age, and is well thought of by all sections of the Con- 
servatives; he is distinguished in manners, but, above all, he is the 
favorite of Lord Salisbury, whose voice is predominant in matters 
regarding the internal organization of the party. In the ranks there 
is also Sir Hardinge S. Giffard, a lawyer of great merit; his talents 
elevated him to the post of Solicitor-general under the late Govern- 
ment. 1 doubt whether he will ever make a statesman; but, on the 
other hand, he is a practical orator, and might be chosen. 

There is also Mr. Gibson, but he is an Irishman and a lawyer. It 
is true that Lord Cairns, who was on the point of becoming the 
leader of the Conservative Lords, was also a lawyer and an Irish- 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 39 

man. Mr. Gibson is still young; he is clever and energetic, a man 
of tact and moderation, although every inch a Conservative. Lord 
Salisbury can scarcely surpass him in eloquence, and he has the art 
of rousing enthusiasm. 

The Liberal party, if it were to lose Mr. Gladstone, would rot 
lack leaders. The person at piesent most clearly designated for that 
dignity is the Marquis of Haitington— a faint reflection of lis chief. 
Among the Radicals it would not be difficult to rep'ace Mr. Cham- 
berlain, and the obstructionists have any number of leaders. 

In the Parliamentary drama many curious scenes are enacted: if 
Liberal malcontents are seen drawing near to the Conservatives, 
more than one Conservative will make his court to Mr. Gladstone 
to obtain a " shelf " in the Upper House; for it is at the suggestion 
of the Prime-minister that the Queen creates peers. On the other 
haud, the strength of the Tories often comes from the weakness of 
the Liberal leaders, who are secretly their allies. Mr. Goschen has 
frequently saved the Conservatives from themselves. Political evo- 
lution is perfectly admitted, and most of the politicians who have 
become Prime-ministers have sat on both sides of the House. One 
of the most curious cases of political evolution is that of Mr. Mar- 
riott, member for Brighton, who, not being able to settle himself 
comfortably on the left, suddenly declared that he was deserting the 
Liberal, and going to fight under the Conservative banner. He 
therefore resigned his seat, and presented himself again before his 
constituents; and now comes the extraordinary pait of the story, 
the electors had changed their opinions with him, and they re-elected 
him. 

Another Parliamentary curiosit}' is patronage. A patron recruits 
volunteers, and attaches them to himself by paying the expenses of 
their election, and their vo*es then belong to him. The Jate Earl 
Fitz- William commanded fifteen of these mercenaries. 

Among the Irish obstructionists, some look upon the position of 
a member of Parliament as lucrative; for, having settled the ques- 
tion of emoluments in their own favor, they receive a salary from 
their constituents. This explains why Mr. Parneli is assailed by 
the offer of service from so many aspirants to membership, and 
these requests are not made only by patriots of the " si-ter isle," but 
frequently also by Radical cockneys. This is not at all displeasing 
to Mr. Parneli; he considers their assistance less dangerous to the 
Irish cause than that of the red-hot politicians of his own country. 

1 have already described Mr. Gladstone's attitude in Parliament; 
his eloquence does not always carry by main force the bills that he 



40 THE SOCIETY OF LOSTDOtf. 

presents, and when he is not followed in a question, his adversaries, 
and even his iriends, show him no pity. But an adverse vote 
scarce!}' seems to touch him. In the sittings of the 26th and 27ih of 
April, 1883, he was beaten over and over again by a powertul ma- 
jority; but this did not disturb him at all. On the 12h of May, 
1882, he even susiained a total defeat, after having threatened to 
dissolve the House; but when beaten and driven into a corner about 
the dissolution h? put it off and resigned himself to the tacts. 

He leaves his colleagues the initiative in their several departments, 
but in general politics he directs them absolutely. 

The labors ot the English Parliament are verv severe: two hours 
of each sitting aie wasted in questions asked by members who are 
longing to read their own names next morning in the local news- 
paper, and want to prove to their constituents that they are some- 
thing more than voting machines. 

This Government has been almost entirely occupied with Ireland 
and Egypt. A #hole session was devoted to the liish Land Bill; 
another was taken up by the Bill on Electoral Reform; and probably 
the whole of the present jear will not suffice for the Redistribution 
of Seats Bill. # 

Side by side with these bills there are always laws in suspense that 
have been presented every session for an indefinite period. Such, 
for example, is the " Deceased Wife's Sister Bill." It would be 
idle to enumerate all the projected laws that are waiting for the 
sanction of Parliament, from the decimal system and woman's 
suffrage to municipal reform and a bill on the navy; but the most 
urgent of all, and the one that would most expedite the solution of 
the others, would be the reform of Parliament itself, for in its pres- 
ent condition its operation is almost paralyzed. An amusing bill, 
brought forward at least once a year, is for the abolition of the 
grating in Iront of the ladies' gallery. Parliamentary debates being 
ptivate. and " strangers " having no right to be present, a member 
can alwa3 r s have a gallery cleared by calling the attention of the 
Speaker to the tact that there are " strangers " present. In order not 
to subject the ladies' gallery to this it was hidden by a grating. 
Once moie, by 131 votes against 75, the House has rejected the bill. 
This arrangement only exists in the House of Commons; the Lords 
are not so easily agitated by the sight of fair faces. 1 will mention 
the customary white-bait dinner which every year brings the mem- 
bers of Parliament to Greenwich at the close of the summer session. 
At this dinner arose the symbolic custom of giving a wooden spoon 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 41 

to the minister who, during the year, had been involved in the fewest 
divisions in the House of Commons. 



NIOTH LETTER. 

THE HOUSE OF LORDS. si 

I F you Have observed the conflict that arose last year between j. he- 
HouTof Lord, and .he House ot Commons, you are aw are ha 
nothins: could exceed the unpopularity of the former. Public tee 
K a— a.most to exasperation, and for a t me ft. cry h e^ 
ened to be " Down with the House ot Lords! All opposition 
otl el by the House of Lords to the House ot Commas assumes, 
as w. can easily understand, irritating proportions: tor 'hen con- 
Lire not questions ot vulg»r matters, of the balance of.he Budg- 
et leimposuion of taxes, the voting of supply, etc. The Lo»er 

Commons; but these are vital organic questions winch concern 
imeett of classes and provoke the most violent par y smte. 

One more the accusation was brought against the Lords by the 
J ority of Lncnish people, " They Have learned nodnng, an for- 
Z ten noUiing " How could they torget. in rejecting the bill for 
e, o orm r -m, that an analogous situation fad led to revolt m 
1 m" Then they were pursued and Insulted, stones were th own 
at tieirlariages their lives were in danger, and they were obliged 
at their ca " la " e . was arouse(1 tllis i\ me , but with the 

LTenc hat , ,"ere the voices of orators, a more ,errd»e 
Jeanon tl an stones, instead ot striking at their persons, aimed at 
,he very principle ot their political existence, took the place of up- 

r0 Tl, a e'Lords are" once an hereditary assembly and a body of great 
Hud d proprietors, who share the soil ot England between theim 
Does not .he veiy lonnula " hereditary assembly -■ imply a primary 
"2 j son of a great legislator is not necessarily a great 

ordimrv learned professions the transmission ot peculiar talent is 
^2*SS. \v M ati G »ias e aom.r, 1 Bsmhsible;an a) Uo W ever 

Xvi a polUicL may be, however mighty a soveieign, they can 



42 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

not cast the brain of their offspring into the same mold. Heredity 
js, therefore, a source of weakness, for it opens Ihe doors of an as- 
sembly that should be the temple of wisdom, justice, and right, 
where laws become vital forces, to mediocrity and to incapacity. 

The agrarian question arising from the monopoly of the laud ten- 
tire leads to siill greater evils than heredity. The remedy for pau- 
perism, and for most of the social problems, is in the hands of the 
Lords, just as revolution, that weapon of the people, is in the hands 
of the masses. And it may be predicted with certainty, that if a 
revolution e\er lakes place in England it will not be a political one. 
Public opinion, and the means of agitation possessed by the people, 
are powerful enough to overthrow a ministry or to secure a dissolu- 
tion of the House of Commons. But the imminent revolution, and 
one that would look like legit inate vengeance, is agrarian. 

Who cau not perceive the danger incurred by society at large from 
an assembly of legislators who have the light to reject every law of 
reform concerning property? But it would take a volume to make 
you understand how important this right of rejecting laws becomes 
in the hands of the Lords. The existence and not only the prerog- 
atives of the English aristocracy rest on the possession of land, and 
on the seigneurial authority it gives over all who are supported by 
the land. Every agrarian law is therefore a menace to them, per- 
haps even a sentence or death, and yet it is from them that the sanc- 
tion of such a law is expected! 

The opposition of the Lords to the Franchise Bill was only log- 
ical; for the vote, by giving a share of power to the lower classes, 
puts into their hands legal weapons for the destruction of the privi- 
leges ot the aristocracy. The Lords— ana how could anything else 
be expected?— represent only theii own interests, in entire opposition 
to those ot the people. All progress is for them a terror and a dan- 
ger; tiiey therefore constantly oppose it, ana have kept back the 

. march of progress in the sense of reforms for at least a hundred 

•years. 

"( Most ot the members of the House of Peers know nothing of pub- 

"lie affairs, and only come down to the House when it is a question 
of rejecting in a body some law that has been proposed. The con- 
dition ot Ireland is largely due to the Lords. In 1848 and 1854 the 
Lords opposed all the agrarian laws brought iorward in favor of 
that country, and they have pursued the same policy ever since, 
mercilessly reje* line all that injured their personal interest, and, 
worse still, affected their prejudices and their intolerance. Nothing 
is ever got from them but capitulation; never one of those grand 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 43 

acts that do honor to an assembly, that make a body illustrious, and 
spare a nation the shocks which endanger not only its physical but 
its moral existence. Formerly when a law passed the House of 
Commons the question used to be, "What will the Lords do?" 
Now it is only asked, " What shall we do with the Lords?" Has 
this aucient, noble, and powerful English aristocracy exhausted all 
its powers of resistance? Will it put itself in oppo.i'ion to the force 
of democratic feeliug, or will it show true greatness, as the nobles 
did in the early days of the French Revolution, or as our Russian 
aristocracy did at the time of the emancipation of the serfs? Will 
it be wise and disinterested enouuh to accept progress rather than 
wait and have the concession wrung from it? 

The House of Lords has time tor reflection; for the palace where 
it sits will not fall down at the sound of the popular trumpets so 
easily as the walls of Jericho fell. 

» Titles exercise in England a fascination quite unknown elsewhere. 
At gi. at festivals the poorest people assemble in crowds to watch 
all the wealth and luxury pass by, an.l many a foreigner, like my- 
self, who has been tempted to speak to some ragged individual, has 
received the proud reply, " These are our Lords." 

Tbis weakness for a title is such that the politics of a vacillating 
enemy can readily be settled by th3 promise of a peerage. Three 
hundred and two baronetcies have been created since 1830. and two 
hundred and twenty-five were given to Liberals as a reward for their 
change of party. In 1831 the agitation against the House of Lords 
had decreed its downfall. The noble Peers were not the first nor 
will they be the last who preferred lo sulmit rallier than resign. 
This time the conflict, of public opinion against the Lords has 
assumed a form, become a society, and taken a threatening name- 
that of the " National League for the Abolition of the Hereditary 
House." At the head of this league are some d. lermined men. Sir 
Wilfrid Lawson, Labouchere, Burt, and many others; but so. long 
as the Government has at its head men like Hartington, Harcourt, 
Granville, and Derby, the Peers may continue to look down upon 
the people from the heights of their haughty security. " W here we 
are," they say, " we see the masses as it from a balloon, and they 
look very small "—a figure of speech that the people have been quick 
to use in a contrary sense, for they assert that seen from below the 
balloon looks smaller still. 

If the days of the House of Lords are not yet numbered, its years 
most decidedly are. It is an ancient edifice that rests only upon the 
Shifting sands of privilege and of class interests; and as slight 



44 THE SOCIETY OF LONDOH. 

storms have already made it shake and tremble, a tempest will com- 
pletely overthrow it. 

When a member of the House of Commons passes to the Upper 
House, whether from his new surroundings, or trom the extreme 
honor, or from the indifference ot a satisfied ambition, he inevitably 
lo«es any talent he has previously possessed. Tims Mr. Robert 
Lowe, a weighty orator in the Commons, became Lord Sherbrooke, 
and has forever after held his peace in the House of Lords. 

The presidency belongs by right to the Lord Chancellor; but he 
has not t lie power ot the Speaker of the H< use of Commons, he is 
only an ornarmntul decoration. Seated on the woolsack, dressed 
up like a figure in a puppet-show, with a long, grotesque wig, he is 
the only Minister who must necessarily be a memter ot the Upper 
House. Unless they are peers, the other ministers can only enter it 
as visitors. Is it not strange that even the President of the Coun- 
cil, even a Minister of Agriculture, interested in an agrarian ques- 
tion, may no" come and in sue the voice of the Government heard 
outside the assembly to which they belong? 

1 will mention a few of the most interesting among the Lords. 

The Duke ot ATgyll, a Scotchman, fills his exalted position in the 
Upper House, in society, and in the world of literature brilliantly. 
He does not speak in the House, he preaches, and gives a stiong 
Scottish tone to all his discourses. But in literature the fighting- 
cock element in him asseits itself; he is always ready for combat, 
and rushes to the attack at the slightest provocation. He makes war 
on other people's works, but does not produce many himself. He 
is a Presbyterian, and may even be called a theologian. He has a 
cultivated, active, inquiring miud, with great strength of character, 
but with a polemical disposition that he sedulously cultivates. Lord 
Granville and he are at the head oi the Liberal party ot the Upper 
House. The Duke is also the father-in-law of Princess Louise. 

The Duke of Richmond is a handsome man, sixty-one years ot 
age, simple and unaffected, without pride, withabright, genial face 
and pleasant manners, very frank and distinguished, a grand 
seigneur, but very obstinate in his opinions. 

Those who meet him in the country might easily be misled by ap- 
pearances to take him fur some good, honest farmer; but fte is one 
of the grandest persons of the British aristocracy, and the friend 
and adviser of the Queen. He possesses a baronetlf^WB^earldom, 
two duchies, the title of Hereditary Constable of the castle of In* 
verness, etc., etc. A man of high principle and impartial in his 
judgment, he was chosen as leader to the Conservatives, but was 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDOH. 45 

found too prudent. He is, in fact, more moderate and less hasty 
than Lord Salisbury. 

Lord Caiins, formerly Lord Chancellor, who has ]ust died, was a 
very reliaious man, like his successor. 

The Mar -mis of Ripon has just come back from India, and re- 
sumed his Dlace in the House of Lords. With Lord Northbrook 
and Lord Ly'ton, he makes the third ex-Viceroy now sitting there. 

Lord Shaftesbury's long lite has been passed in endeavoring to 
ameliorate the condition of the working classes. He is a stanch de- 
tender of the Church. He has declared in the House that he might be 
I called " a man who has never been influenced by party motives. 

The Duke of Norfolk, a descendant of a royal line and Hereditary 
Earl Marshal, is chiefly remarkable for his open desertion of the 
Liberal party on account of the agricultural laws proposed by Mr. 

Gladstone. 

Lord Hampden, formerly Sir Henry Brand and for many years 
Speaker of the House of Commons, is a model ot honor and impar- 
tiality no one was ever better fitted to exercise the authority that 
rightly belongs to a great character and a great position. He had 
no enemies, although he «as the .error ot uumly members When 
last year he resigned and was made a Peer, .he House voted him as 
a recognition of his long services a pension of £4000 a year 

Among the extraordinary Peers is Lord Tennyson, the Poet- 

laureate. . „ 

But 1 must slop, although there are many interesting figures 
among these noble lords. We shall meet them elsewhere in society 
and amid their sports, sol will conclude .his letter with the Duke of 
Westminster. He is the possessor of such a fortune that a large 
family could live for a year on his income tor a day. 



TENTH LETTER. 

PARLIAMENTARY LEADERS. 

Lord Salisbury is one of the most interesting and striking fig- 
ures in .he present political world, and his struggle against all the 
tendencies of the time inspires a certain curiosity uingled with re- 
spect He has in the higl est sense of the term, asort ol Don Quix- 
otism that makes this great Conservative leader seem like a eiant of 
olden times, valiant and bold. He is constantly striving against 
demociacy, although he knows perfectly well that it must be victo* 



46 THE SOCIETY OE LONDON. 

rious in the end, and so he appears to be a warrior fighting for honor 
only. Sarcastic, bitter, and haughty, never compromising the con- 
victions which exclude him from the chance of power, he is well 
fitted lo be at the head ot a party of resistance. But how he must 
suffer at having Buch a limited sphere o£ action, at being only the 
head of a coterie when his stature is that of the chief of a counter 
revolution? If he hail not to struggle against Radicalism, the vult- 
ure ot this modern Prometheus; if monarchy, which is his f ait h, 
were never in danger, he might make a wise and benevolent Minis- 
ter ot a despotic Government. Hisgreul integrity, his contempt for 
all compromise, all accommodatiDn, gives him a sort of frankness 
that is almost cynical. He sees the danger and denies it; he con- 
ceives the remedy and rejects it; and he would bung everything 
into court rather than submit to a solution imposed by events. The 
Lords applaud his severely just ciiticisms, his attacks upon the Min- 
istry, whose errors he pitilessly exposes, but if he were in power he 
would certainly do worse than they have done. He carries on the 
tradition ot resistance and rivalry that made Wellington struggle 
against Grey, Peei against Russell, Disraeli against Gladstone. 
There is not a Conservative more conservative than he. An enemy 
to all the tendencies of modern society, always throwing himself 
into ihe breach, he is the champion of existing institutions, not be- 
cause he thinks them just or reasonable, but simply because they ex- 
ist; this is his favoiite argument. Possessing an analytical and pro- 
found minfl, and a style tormed by great literary research, he forms 
his sentences finelv; bu1 he U so true, so sincere, that he constantly 
•scapes from these artificial forms, and yielding to the impulse of 
his nature, pours forth his invective and his sarcasm, unpolished and 
unmitigated. 

Having a horror of the French Revolution, and insisting thai Eng- 
land ie great because she has resisted revolutionary ideas, he refuses 
to see that what has saved his country from modern calamities is not' 
the obstinacy behind which he intrenches himself, but the timely 
concessions made b} r his predecessors. 

Out of Parliament Lord Sa'isbury is a perfect man of the world, 
and his political salon is eage'ly frequented. He receives much, 
but always a set chosen by himself and belonging to the highest so- 
ciety. He has two country-houses, one near Dieppe and the other 
at Hatfield, where, like the Prince of Wales, he gives garden-parties. 
Among the Liberal leaders of the Upper House is Lord Granville, 
whom 1 have already mentioned to you among the Ministers. In the 
House of Commons Sir Stafford Northcote and Lord Randolph 



4-7 
THE SOCIETY OE LONDON. 

are several members o the preen ^ leader> mu8t 

John Bright, who w. bout bem Norlhcole , lhe chiet of .he 

certainly be mentioned, fc «J »» on a colork . s6 poll . 

Conservative party in the Hon e « parl iamen.ary for- 

tician, with a great knowledge of busme » esteem 

ot hi. opponents .but ~ l „ his pa ,, y , and is happy 

entions man he Inlfl lh * . du ^ ^ some qu 

when they accord with bis duties . s galis _ 

as a statesman, bu. be ,s not an orator ! « » ^ ^ 
hury, find opportunities or eloa en e .n ^ ^ ^ 

No one understands the value «' c gentleman, 

Stafford Northcote. He is not * ^J'^i sense 8 of honor 
kindly, sensible, and of sound J» nt a * f a ,„ ot . few 
,ules all his actions, and hts word s a c.ed P 

all his movements. fiye r8 of ag e, Lord Kandolph 

c rsurt:iv?:;rr fLowiedge « «.. r * 

a 1^;oseehim—g, r .a ? e^ 
lng , and insulting the : augua «* * ^ iQ (he flght> 

br0 ad views and > amb. ,ou. H h ^ tUat 

he bas a great future before him i passi0Da te but not a 

can banish him «^J^*^i%, it, g-t ability 
vulgar speaker, be bas, when ne c iend a taUhhl i 

S g r2n=rr:-. His witeis a pretty 

Xradversaries of «*^SS 
Kg ard him as aserious ^'^J,^^ oppi)S i,ion read- 
structionisf, bu in he eye. ^ J ^ t „ g l0 eTery . 

n , become, obstruct on He 'S also . rri|ates trom the 

thing, of being factious; bm t he so ^ _ ^ ^ 



48 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

the affairs of Ireland. He has just brought forward a question 
upon the reform ot the staff m ministerial establishments asserting 
that the Foreign Office is a nest of idlers, the War Office a refuge 
for fools, the Admiralty a herd of incapable*, and the employes in 
general an army of impotent men all too well paid. Will he remem- 
ber this when he is a Minister? as, in spite of his opposition to Lord 
Salisbury, he certainly will be in ilie first Conservative Cabinet 

John Bright is not the leader of a clique, but one ot the greatest 
leaders of public opinion. The member for Birmingham, the Lan- 
cashire Quaker, the srreat manufacturer, now seventy-three years of 
age, is one ot the greatest figures in the political woi Id. JNomanhas 
ever been more calumniated, but neither has any man ever beeu more 
praised, more beloved. He has been at once the scape-goat and the 
idol ot his countrymen. His leonine head., his noble and impc sing 
appearance, attract immediate attention; his movements are quick 
and decisive, his glance is keen and prompt. He is acknowledged 
even by his enemies to be a politician of the first rank, and the 
House fills at once if he is aoiug to speak. He begins hesitatingly 
and in a conversational tone, but gradually becomes animated, as if 
inspired by the sound of his own voice. A practical man, he makes 
others see what is so clear to himself; a clever and eloquent orator 
his diction is very correct, though he does not make phrases; and 
his resonant voice, his grand manner, his choice of fitting words 
his tact in graduating the effect, his convincing logic, his sagacity,' 
his good sense, his humor, his presence of mind, his heartiness, his 
outbursts of contempt and indignation, all contribute to make an ex- 
ceptional man of him who rules other men by virtue of his own 
unequaled merit. He is always master of himself, does not borrow 
trite quotations from Latin authors, out if he makes one at all, takes 
it from English literature, which he has entirely mastered'. His 
speeches have a vague flavor of Puritanism; sometimes he allows 
himself to hide his moderation under apparent violence, but the pre-f 
cision of his thought brings him back to his own simple expressions. 
Gifted with extreme penetration, and fertile in resources, if he had 
created a Cabinet it would have been a hard-working Cabinet; and 
the Radical tendencies that are imputed to him would have 'been 
tempered by the marvelous judgment that always enables him to 
find the key to a situation, the solution of a difficulty. As a mem- 
ber of Mr. Gladstone's Cabinet he was somewhat thrown into the 
shade, and was an ornament to the Ministry rather than the life and 
soul of it. He was offered a seat in the Cabinet because he is a 
power in the country, and commands an immense number of votes; 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 49 

many other posts have been offered him, but he has no love ot 
Zer and there can be no greater erro. than to look npon h m as 
a demagogue, as some people do, and to assert Ifcut he sympathy 
thh Stionists. His name is connected with the abohuon ot e 
To n-laws and ehnreh rates, and with .he Hindoo policy. H avert- 
eu wa with America by ge.tmg the Alabama qu^on settled by 
arbitration, and he is an advocate tor the Channel tnnnel. . 

I 
ELEVENTH LETTER. 

ENGLISH POLITICS. 

No. i.—Home Politics. 
T HW Fntflish have an invicible beiief in their national supremacy, 
a b?ndlmn the superiority ,-t their Constitution. They 1ft. U, 
ma e a - »t their power abroad and .heir liberty at home. No 
doubt Sand as a nation, benefiting by her insular position, ree 
f rSorae neighbors, dors escape the constantly arrs.ug dan- 
^uTth^£nUnen..l countries at every moment-, but has 
Te 1 to tear c e , tain social disturbances within her boundaries 
which may prove the more serious because they have not the natural 

°Clt"lrved her aristocratic omnipotence, while most 
Emop an countries have been gradually transformed by democracy: 
tat wl 1 not the natura. expansion ot things soon try Englanc I by a 
fir hat seems definitely incompressible? Has toe old e I.fice of 
heCon!titutiona«ufflcientlv firm basis in the aristocracy to rests 
Z pr'su- oMhe mob? This is a grave question which 1 can not 

^t^J^S** ot the Constitution have been plastered 
l^Tw Liberal laws; but from certain signs, and smce the 
0V6r , nroveTheemse ves a t0 be capable of disputing, and yet respect- 
ZtXZ t is ev den- that the/will one day throw off ,he tyranny 
imposed on pubiic opinion by the old English formula,- an estab- 

S « S™*z> added to tkose ttey altead " P0SSess ' may 



50 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

tell with decisive weight in the downfall of worn out institutions. 
What makes the strength and the constitutional safety of England 
is, that the will of the nation is more powerful than that of parties, 
and when this will, now supported only by the middle class, by mer- 
chants aud manufacturers, is supported by the entire mass of the 
people, the aristocracy, which has liiiheito been a bulwark against 
revolution, will learn the truth that a nation belongs to itself, and 
not to a sovereign or to a privileged class. 

When* I read the speeches of politicians delivered in obscuie vil- 
lages, it is evident to me that the established authority is in that 
transition state which makes it necessary to consider and conciliate 
the people, because they are becoming formidable to it. Men of 
note have already uttered the word— Republic, and the English, the 
most law abiding people in the world, are exactly fitted to realize 
the model of that form of government whose only ideal superior is 
the ideal of the law. 

The aristocracy, the so-called bulwark of the Constitution, but 
in truth the fortress of its own interests only, completely nullifies 
that liberty of which the English people are so proud, rendering it a 
disguised form of serfdom? The aristocracy remains at the head 
of all the great State manifestations, it accepts or rejects laws in the 
House of Lords, and two thirds of the soil, as well as all titles and 
dignities worth having, belong to it. 

The people, it is true, have many liberties on paper, but they are 
fictitious, and will never be true and substantial so long as they de- 
pend upon the aristocracy. Thus, tor example, a workman may 
offer himself as a member of Parliament, but his want of money 
practically places an insuperable barrier in the way of his ambition, 
for votes are bought in spite of the ballot, and every election costs 
a little fortune. 

Nothing is more easy than to evade the Corrupt Practices Bill; 
electoral corruption can be practiced in a hundred ways, and under 
skillfully disguised forms. 

Another insurmountable obstacle to poor candidates, and one that 
effectually excludes a working-man from the House, is thenon-pay*. 
ment of members of Parliament. 

The sale of commissions has been stopped, and the paid soldiers 
who compose the voluntarily recruited army of Great Britain may 
henceforth aspire to the honors of hieh command. There again, 
however, facts bar the road to fortuneless men: commissions are 
given to the younger sons of good families, tor those persons must 
be placed either in the Army, the Navy, the Civil Service, or the 



iHE SOCIETY 02 LONDOH. 51 

Church-natural resources for all aristocrats without fortune, what- 
ever may be their aptitude or capacity. The ordinary soldier, there- 
fore can only get on with great difficulty, even it he ever gets on at 
all England is a country of sinecures, governed by the same class 
to-day who governed it in the Middle Ages; it is in the hands of an 
oligarchy, tor the upper circle of the aristocracy rules the rulers 

This concentration of power has led to an agrarian situation that 
must be redressed, ami is the most iormidable difficulty with which 
the Government is conironted. The condition of English laborers 
is heartrending, and excites the deepest pity. 

Toward <he end of the last century there were 250,000 farmers 
owning portions of land; but in 1793 the English aristocracy ter- 
rified at the possible contagion of the revolutionary movement m 
France, and fearing the power of these small rural proprietors, 
gradually bought up all their land, and concentrated the soil in its 
own hands. Having thus depiived the people of their real means of 
independence, the Lords made up for this monopoly by apparent 
concessions and pretended privileges. In 1832 there were only 82 000 
land-owners, and now 250 great noblemen possess the halt of Eng- 
land and three quarters of Scotland. Land is the basis of power, 
and 'therefore of liberty; it is the strength of the proprietor, but it 
means dependence to the tenant. Can a dependent ever have any 
other opinion than that of his Lord? When the soil is owned in- 
stead of being rented, the infinite subdivision of land becomes one 
of the solutions of pauperism, as we are taught by the laws of 
Lvcurgus, by the famous agrarian laws of the Gracchi, and by the 
example of the United States, Switzerland, and France. Here then 
is an important and serious problem, constantly brought forward 
by the Liberal ministers, and as constantly contested, adjourned, 
distoried, and rejected by the Peers, whose very existence is threat- 
ened by land reform. The system by which one man is enriched 
at the expense of thousands of miserable toilers is a very dangerous 
element in the present internal condition of Great Britain. After 
this question necessarily comes that of pauperism, a malady which, 
together with drunkenness, is preying upon England. ^ 

Although the amount of personal and voluntary chanty is incal- 
culable, and greatly lightens the burdens of the Government and the 
municipalities, in spite of the thousands of pounds given to hospitals, 
and to all institutions for the prevention and relief of destitution 
pauperism is far from diminishing. The remedy is not to be found 
in charity, however lavish it may be; it can only be affected by con- 
stitutional reforms; and those the English, Jike other European 



5% THE SOCIETY OF LONDOtf. 

Governments, do not study. They only gaze with indifference or 
incapacity on the ever-spreading leprosy of destitution. Most of 
them deny the danger in its social aspect; it is nevertheless one with 
which they will have to reckon before long. 

As for drunkenness, the laws enacted against that public vice are 
powerless, and the reason is plain enough: the legislators have not 
limited the constantly increasing number of public-houses. More 
than one parliamentary soiial reformer has proposed remedies for 
this malady, which is both epidemic and contagious, but none have 
been listened to. The temperance societies have been more fortu- 
nate, and have succeeded, to a certain extent, where the imperfect 
laws had failed. 

1 should have to touch on a great many other points if I were to 
indicate all the reforms necessaty in the magistrature, in the ad- 
ministration of justice, in the codification of practical laws to re- 
place the. voluminous archives of piccedents and customs — all so 
much waste paper — that fill the libraries of the Inns of Court. 
Municipal organization would have to be entirely reconstituted. 
The English navy can no longer rank as the first in the woild, and 
the army is everywhere acknowledged to be inadequate. 

The Radical party, of which 1 have ppoken. gains recruits from 
day to day, and must in the end force its programme upon the seri- 
ous attention of the governing powers. The recent advance in elec- 
toral reform opens such a vast field to democracy in the future that 
1 must leave it and its results to the writers of the future. 

As 1 have to limit myseif to the space of a letter, 1 will close my 
brief remarks on the home politics of England by the burning ques- 
tion of free-trade and taxation. Free-trade has made England the 
greatest market in the world, and to that the United Kingdom owes 
the public wealth acquired during the last forty yeais. The prod- 
ucts of all countries pass through England, and in being negotiated 
there, leave a part of the r value behind them; thus has colossal 
weath been accumulated. 

Some idea may be formed of this bewildering commercial activity 
by the gigantic transactions of the Clearing house, the average of 
which was every week of the year 1871, £92,061.365; and the public- 
revenue was increasing every day, although the duties were being con- 
tinually lessened. The export trade was something marvelous, ?.nd 
irom the most distant corner* of the world all who wished to effect 
great loans and to start gre^t companies came to this golden market. 
The merchant navy was as great as that of all other countries put 
together, and the colonies shared the ever-increasing prosperity. 



THE SOCIETY OE LONDON. 

A curious feature iu this state of .Mugs is that fbi ***>»** 
nothing <o do will, it, except iu having voted free-.rade and ap- 
proved o the grea. Cobdeu. The vast result was ou the contrary 
S, due to. he absence of Stole interference in commerce and 
manufactures; the Smte was nei.ber the constructor nor adm.n s- 
™ or of railways, uor .he or.at.tor of maritime compau.es- . and 
loll" to do with -he execution of public wo.ks or w.,1. t affic, 
evev.hh, g was originated and earned out by pnva.e enterpr.se. 

Bu " check came. The smok markets are now encumbered, .he 
inceln- p'aucion finds fewer outlets, and ever-increasmg com- 
petiuon makes profile inflnitesimally small, so that w,,h all her 
we h England's threatened with a dangerous commerc.a, ens . 
his state of Ihings two parties have a.isen: .he parly of .r- 
I ra d which demand! protective duties to a certain extent and ^ he 
mrlv of free-trade, which proposes the suppress.on of al .he exist- 
ing ens om dues, nd wishes ,o make the whole of England a free 
port The a.m of an iu.el.igent pohcy should be to open eveiy on t- 
fet o remove all obs.acles, and to raise taxes only from f..i ones 
aire dy acquired and results already ob.ained. The cotoms form 
an impediment to many branches ot commerce, and to freedom of 
commerc™: general, and .he experience of Ihese years of tr-al has 
Zv« hat it might be abohshed. Each time that the du y has 
Zl .moved Irom an ar.iele of commerce .he profits upon . have 
leased, and it is ce.tain that .he idea, of trade ,s ^^ 
all fiscal restriclious. What a glorious spectacle it all he c uslom 
houses ot Europe were U, disappear simullaneonsly! The pnncipal 
resou-s of Z revenue are the income-tax and the Que,, , . axes ; 
the other taxes go inlo the municipal cotters. The English ex 
eheq, er s suppbed by taxation; it has no recourse to exped.enls or 
I loans. Tie income-tax, which was fivepeuce ,n the P™° d . >* 
he n raised this year to sixpence, in order to supply the defie.t 
caused by the Egyptian expedition* In very urgent cases the 
T asury is ues bonds at short date-, this is a kind of lemporary 
loan The income-tax, although vexatious iu its form, .s much 
airer than the taxes .hat press upon labor and producuon ; ^ 
income-tax costs less to collect than indirect taxes, for the la. e. e 
«£. a complicated mechanism which absorbs part of the produce; 
w le the income-lax, collected iu a very simple manner, goes d - 
Teclly into the cotters ot the State without any apprec.ahle dtm.au- 
tion. 
. An increase to eightpenee forms « ittm in Mr. Childers's recent Budget. 



54 THE SOCIETY OF LONDOK. 

Indirect taxation reminds me of the old toll bar gates, where the 
amount received exactly represented the salaries of the men who 
kept them. In England the partial suppression of indirect taxation 
has especially benefited the upper and the middle classes. What 
remains of this tax especially falls upon the poor man's articles of 
ordinary consumption: beer, tea, tobacco, etc. Those articles are 
still heavily taxed, while objects of luxury have been freed. Limit- ; 
ed purses buy in small quantities, and thus pay more dearly than it 
they could lay in large supplies or vary the articles of consump- 
tion; so it may be said that direct taxes are paid by the rich, and 
indirect taxes by the poor. 

I will not speak of the rural districts, which are most unfairly 
burdened; this comes into the agrarian question, which must in- 
evitably be the " delenda est Carthago " of the home policy of Eng- 
land, and has a distinguished champion in the person of Sir Stafiord 
Northcote. 

11.— Foreign Policy. 

From the moment that England alone no longer supplies Ihe 
markets of the world, when the improvement of foreign ports de- 
prives her of her formely unique position, when her imports increase 
as fast as her exports diminish, when her great rival, America, 
competes with her everywhere abroad, and even at home, the com- 
mercial policy of England— a vital policy that necessarily overrides 
every other consideration — must inevitably be a colonial policy. 

The geographical position of the United Kingdom, standing like 
a sentinel in the ocean, on the road to all the great distant con- 
tinents, its natural defenses, which isolate it from the schemes and 
ambitions of Europe, its enormous internal development, its multi- 
tude of ports in the four seas, the extent of its navy, the nautical 
aptitude of its people — all have given England an exceptionally ad- 
vantageous position with regard to a colonial policy. 

England has only one natural enemy, whose insidious policy is 
always battling her own — that enemy is Russia. England is only 
interested in other nations in proportion to their influence in Eastern 
affairs, with which she is always occupied. Hitherto her colonies 
had given her little trouble; but now — and here 1 recognize the 
working of Providence — Mr. Gladstone's advent to power has 
struck a vigorous blow at the roots of the colonial tree. 

At the very moment that the colonies of England are causing so 
much anxiety, how is it that Euiope is seized with the idea of cut- 
ting up the globe, and of making a number of little colonies? The 



55 

THE SOCIETY OF LONDOK. 

re9 „lt is very « - « &£*££ ^fn" S 
could, reduce England to >^"^Sevvoula like be: to 
master all her forces ,n order to ^™ M n0 turlUer oppo r- 
rdinquish. At tins moment Mr G™ ^.^ He 1)a3 to 
tuuitytor the application of bis a o V c watcll> suspect, or 

pursue a policy of necessity, ^^"^ , lie fa „ ott English 
coa, Germany, who is now »>^W~J*' side by siue with 
possessions. Besides the Ge rmanm <™^ e G( f rmans a „a 

were never able to conquer. Foreigu offlce 

The colonies, threatened on all sides na offlce ^ 

with imperious demands for protection * ° ^ 

rtta by asking them '«r »W.e» to o-mnnj Egyp ^ ^ ^ 

" The vicinity o£ the Germans h. ,ir a d 

cunation lor independence for s INp rtm £ ^ and 

ing among the people who ^ " e the molbe r-country. 

want to escape from the . « .~ o co ,onies, peo- 

just as it has happened in America, lb , |oltam . and be - 

plcct with .be sons o ^^'^StQtW. new country, 
come colonial patriots, hmmng ge^ » o£ Lord 

Mr. Gladstone is much °»™^wef<* the advantaees of their 
Derby. The least governed colo is s we, ^ 

attachment » the «^^ ^.^t. themselves 

nto^^'P^^'^Ljto levy protective duties on 
iD tact. Australia has even v ^ maMy _ 

ceitain English products, in ordeopio ^ ^ 

The United States much desire. t bat ^ Irom Eng- 

Union. A powerful Irish colon » - fis , iuae . 

• land, and the country -,^»»« w tohe W « Viceroy, asserted 

pendcnce. The Marquis of Lome, when he wa 
' Lt the opposition to the taco.po ^^ ch Canadian8 . 

boring States was due only to the in «»^» „ , cause ot so 

a Russian invasion, Wolseley . un» to «pe^ ^^^^ 
aan, the turbulence in « ^he nev ^ ^ ^ rf 

ing agrarian questions, have biougm uie 



56 IH E SOCIETT OF LONDON. 



a dangerous political crisis, as well as a dangerous commercial 
cn,s Solicitude ior home affairs has at this" moment"™ 
place to imperial cares. Every sore is now smaHing- the whole 
couniry admits the disorganization of thearmyand tbelnsuffll C y 
of the navy, the sense of help.essness and hnmiliation exasperates 
U, ^accuses its favorite Minister of failing to protect its SoT 

During the five years that Mr. Gladstone has been in power hi, 
ndversaiies accuse him of having alienated Euiope, and Weakened 
all the possessions of the Empire. "veaaenca 

He began, they say, by imitating Austria. In a short time he' 
estranged France. Denmark, Turkey, and India, where h is Tesda 
t-on left m,l tons of people to die of famine. 1 uow give he views 

1 ca^takl? ?*** h ™™' * *»«* the* complains 
1 can best make you understand the double side of English politics 
questions. Every affirmation of Lord Beaconsfleld implies an ga 
Hon of Mr. Gladstone, and vice vend. S 

At the Conference at Berlin, in June, 1880, to settle the Grecian 

M ° Gild tone" 1 T Per ° ( PriDCC BiSmarCk > W "° ™* »5™ 
Mi. Gladstone .or havmg ousted his rival, was used by the Tories 

oartv'wt' •, I"" diP '° ma ' iC WeakDeSS <*«» *« o/,he Jbe a 
party; while ,t was only, ,n reality, a confirmation of his victory 
over themselves. One of the crimes of which Mr. Gladstone fcac 

con '". ,', S °c° d " Wi " '° GreeCe ' He is "V™^ "«" haTng en 
couraged the Government of Athens to raise a loan and to creafe an 
atmy and with having afterward prevented Greece from making 
use of the means that he himself had advised. 1, is forgotten that 
France, influenced by Turkey, Germany, and Austria, fad ml 
while withdrawn her moral support from Greece, ana that England 
alone could not sustain that country. She cflfl'so long e ZT t t 
injure her relations with those three Powers 
After his fall from power, Lord Beaconsfleld condemned every' 

ass :! XTpt::,— 7 with viru,ence - ~ %%. 

precise declaration, "The G,ads,one Cabin i wilt noi 2 w ." 

i r - n a "IT be (iire ' ;ed irom p " b,ic •«••" K«£ 

Ho, I' ,, J, 7 ' " S '°™ ot earcasm ue was received in the 
House the day after the bombardment of Ataandri^a bP X d ! 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 57 

ment all the more unjustifiable as a conference was at that moment 
going on at Constantinople! 1 must, in justice, say, however, that 
in all this Egyptian affair Mr. Gladstone's hand was forced by the 
"Princes ot Finance." The Toiies assert that Mr. Gladstone 
moves as the policy ot Lord Beaconsfield leads him; but how could 
i! be otherwise, in a fixed position, with the same surroundings, and 
dealing with the same interests? For instance, after Mr. Gladstone 
had in iiis speeches condemned the acquisition of Cyprus, was he 
wrong in making the best use of it? After he had declared to the 
Sultan that he would oppose all interference by him in Egypt, he 
was forced by circumstances to return toLoid Beaconsfield 's policy, 
and to declare that Turkish intervention would be the wisest meas- 
ure. Tossed about in a position imposed upon him, but not created 
by him, he alternately alienates the Sultan and asks for his good 
offices; then threatens him, and prevents his ships being sent to 
Egypt at the time of the bombardment; and later still, when the 
Mahdi appears to be triumphant, he turns to this same Sullan, and 
asks him to send an Ottoman force to Egypt to crush the rebel. All 
these contradictory proceedings were imposed upon him by events. 
It may t>e asserted that England has never approved ot the war in 
the Soudan. When Mr. Goschen, iepresenting the English bond- 
holders, went about the country preaching this crusade, he was 
asked, " Are we going to be so loolish as to fight and make enor- 
mous sacrifices of men and money, in order that the Egyptians may 
be spoiled for ihe benefit of a few bond-holders?" The Soudanese 
question has served as a fruitf ul^ theme for the enemies of Mr. 
Gladstone; his delays and his half measures have given the Mahdi 
some very easy victories. A war that is thought listless is always 
feebly organized, and the Eaglish only went on with this war in the 
Soudan because it seemed necessary to maintain the prestige of the 
English in the eyes of the Mussulman population ot India. Eng- 
land is but seeking a pretext to retire, and she will perhaps find it 
in the necessity for defending her Indian Mussulmans against Rus- 
sia. The Mahdi, intoxicated with his success, declares he will taKe 
Egypt from the English, but those who consider the position coolly, 
count upon the perfidy and treacheiy natural to the Soudanese to 
relieve them of the Mahdi. c 

In this affair of the Soudan a curious part is being played by Italy, 
and, in spite of their well-known diplomatic skill, the Italians seem 
in great danger ot gaining nothing but suspicion and embarrassment 
at Massowah. No doubt the English were flattered to see them com- 
ing to their.assistance; but sudden changes of opinion are very fre- 



58 THE SOCIETY OF LOHDOtf. 

quent and very easy in England! The Cabinet of Rome, deceived 
by the selfish policy perfidious Albion is forced to pursue, will cer- 
tainly discover before long that much disappointment awaits it in 
the Soudan. 

To whatever side Mr. Gladstone turns, or however he may act, he 
is entangled in the meshes of Lord Beaconsfield's policy, and can 
only find an itsue to his present difficulties in soire utter contradic- 
tion of hi& own opinions. When, with practical wisdom, he accepts 
iacts thrust upon him by previous facts, he is accused of contradict- 
ing himse 1 !; and when he resists circumstances that he has not 
brought about, it is asserted that his only object is to destroy all his 
rival has created. For Mr. Gladstone the dilemma is this: he must 
either, against his own inclination, exact considerable sacrifices from 
England, and reconstitute her Colonial Empire, or he must lose this 
Colonial Empire that he ihinks fatal to her, and thereby incur the 
malediction ot ihe country. 

But in asking the good offices of Germany, is not Mr. Gladstone 
addiug another danger to those that already menace him? Whatever 
he may do. the policy of a Liberal Cabinet will never please the Iron 
Chancellor so well as the policy of a Tory Cabinet, and the resigned 
submission of Mr. Gladstone will never make Bismarck forget the 
ready complaisance ot Lord Beaconsfield. 

A rupture between England and Germany is inevitable. Prince 
Bismarck pursues his obvious intention of absorbing Holland in Ger- 
many: this wiih one stroke would give him the Dutch colonies, and 
place a formidable rival to England at the very doors of India and 
Australia. This danger England has brought upon herself, and it 
is probably now too late to escape it. If she had chosen to do so, 
she could have prevented Sadowa and Sedan, and united Germany 
would not now exist. Austria asked nothing better than to join 
with England and prevent the Schleswig campaign; but she could 
not venture to act alone. The Queen opposed the Austrian alliance, 
fearing to have to draw r the sword against her good friends the Ger- 
mans. 

The foresight of England seems to be restricted to special sub- 
jects, and Lord Palmeiston, the author of the hereditary policy of 
England, did not foresee, when he enfeebled the Netherlands by 
making the kingdom of Belgium, what burdens he was leaving to 
his successors by the treaties of 1831 and 1839. He was aiming at 
France, whom he called the "natural enemy" of England, and 
was concentrating all his efforts on the frustration of French policy. 
It was not until afterward that he came back to her aud held out his 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 59 

hand, when he perceived thai she might be a useful friend, and that 
the danger was in Prussia. 

If Mr. Gladstone is at the present time following the early policy 
of Lord Palraerston, he will soon find out what it costs him. Acts 
of deference to Prince Bnmarck always run the risk of being looked 
upon by Fiance as acts of hostility toward herself. 

111.— The Indian Question. 

"Europe will either be Republican or Russian," said Napoleon, 
and both alternatives seem to be realizing themselves; foi Europe is 
gradually becoming Republican, while the power of Russia increases 
from day to day. If she succeeds in taking India and Constantino- 
ple, she will hold the supremacy of the world. It is said that all the 
different i nces composing the Russian Empire are without cohesion, 
and therefore prepare the way for its dismemberment; but this is 
not so. The nations to vshom they offer themselves as liberators, 
and whom they carry with them on their onward march, the very 
form of their aristocracy, their Asiatic instincts, bring them nearer 
to those whom Western people call barbarians. 

In the East, Russia claims to have a sacied mission; and it is well 
known with what religious fervor she follows the line of conduct 
traced out by Peter the Great, whose will is to the Russians, as 
Murray says, "the charter of Russian Imperialism.'' Until now 
Gladstone always understood the necessity of friendly relations be- 
tween England and Russia, and when he married the Duke of Edin- 
burgh to the daughter of the Czar, he accomplished an action of 
great political importance. But in our day royal unions have only 
a platonic influence, if they are not supplemented by friendship be- 
tween nations. Mr. Gladstone proved what his opinion was by 
signing the humiliating treaty of London in 1871, which seemed to 
establish the agreement between England and Russia on a defini- 
tive footing. 

Following out the system which made his policy a direct contra- 
diction of that of Lord Beaconsfield, when the war in the East be- 
gan, Mr. Gladstone, remaining faithful to Russia, preached a cru- 
sade in its favor, while Lord Beaconsfield used ever}' means 
suggested by his enmity to provoke an anti-Russian agitation in the 
United Kingdom, and skillfully stopped the Russians at the gates of 
Constantinople. At that moment the war in Afghanistan broke out, 
and Lord Beaconsfield inflamed it, hoping that the outbreak would 
spread as far as the Russian possessions, and that the whole of 
India would rise against the " Colossus of clay." 



60 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 

So soon as Mr. Gladstone came into power again, he caused the 
evacuation of Candahar— an unpardonable mistake, by which the 
£19,500,000 the war had cost was entirely thrown away. But India 
continued to be disturbed; ils people, who are apparently so calm, 
do not, when seized by tne fever ot revolt, recover quickly from the 
excitement. The Afghans, especially, are a nation of warriors, like 
all mountaineers, every man knows how to handle a gun, and de- | 
lights in using it. In time of war, devotion to their country, or 
love ot independence, will produce innumerable soldieis everywhere 
for the defense of their narrow frontier passes. But these small 
bodies ot troops are without organization, and although they can 
defend their defiles, they disperse so soon as they find themselves 
exposed to European armies. You remember, no doubt, what was 
the question of the moment when General KomarofI entered 
Afghanistan. An Anglo-Russian Commission was charged with 
the delimitation of the frontier, under the direction of Sir Peter 
Lumsden, on the English side, and the dilatory behavior ot this 
Commission had somewhat injured the prestige of Great Britain; 
but whose fault was that? 

The t>me of this definition of the frontier was identical with the 
taking ot Khartoum by the Mahdi; and if Russia had not been with- 
held by respect tor the misfortunes of her friend and ally, Mr. 
Gladstone, she might have profited by the deft at of England, and 
could have entered Afsrhanis'an without difficulty. Instead of let- 
ting their vanguards encamp at Penj-deh, and keeping them back at 
the liver Murgab, they could have cleared the pass of the Sobat, 
which is the key of Berat, as Herat is the key ot India. The road 
is the same as that which has been followed from times immemorial 
by the hordes of the north who have overrun Hindostan. They 
took Tashkend in 1864, Bokhara in 1870, Khiva in 1873, Khokand 
in 1876, then Merv and fc'arakhs, and they will take Herat in the 
same manner. 

When they march toward India, they march with certainty, and 
the people offer Jess and less resistance as they approach. Every- 
where thes make roads, construct railways, put up telegraph lines, 
and soon they will be able to transport a hundred thousand men to 
Merv in six days. Russia occupies the Khanate of Khiva, and has 
incorporated it. Khiva and Merv are united, and together form a 
government that may become the head-quarters of many future con- 
quests. The Khan is a descendant of the famous Tamerlane, and 
acknowledges himself a tributary ot the Czar, wno to all his other 
titles will soon add that of Emperor of Central Asia. The day is 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 61 

perhaps not far distant when the coronation of the Russian Emperor 
will take place at Samarkand in the presence of all the khans and 
emir3 who are under the Russian protectorate. Samarkand is at ttie 
veiy gates of Cashmere and Lahore, and there are only the mount- 
ains of Bolor to cross to get into India. 

In Afghanistan the Russian parly is considerable, and the agita- 
tion in their favor very active. The Tjsbegs at Cabul preach separa-( 
tion from England, and the Sumites and Turcomans are ready to 
play the part of liberators by coming to the help of the Afghans. ' 
The population of Herat calls for the Russians, and the complaints 
of certain races in India against England are turned to good ac- 
count. The Emir Abdurrahman would, perhaps, not be disinclined 
to retaliate on the English for their recent occupation, if the Rus- 
sians would help him to do so. Their troops would have an easy 
victory as soon as they appeared: in many places they would be re- 
garded as deliverers rather than as enemies. 

In the Khan of Khasgar, who has at his disposal 40,000 men, 
well armed and well trained, Eneland certainly has a faithful ally, 
a friend disposed to bar the road to the Russians: but a few thou- 
sand Chinese would be sufficient to quiet him. No doubt, if India 
belonged to England body and soul, and was full of grateful sub- 
jects, she could easily rind sufficient resisting force in them; but in- 
stead of this, she is deeply haled, and at any moment might have to 
face a Nana Sahib and an insunection as lormdiable as thai of 1857. 
The silent detestation of the victims of her unforgolteu spoliations 
is all unappeased. India includes two distinct elements — the Hindoo 
and the Mohammedan; and 1 think it is Du Vivier who says, " at 
the head of its fauna India possesses two predominant species, the 
elephant and the tiger." The one is " mild," like the Hindoo, and 
bears the yoke; the other, like the Mohammedan, is always ready to 
abandon itself to fils of blind fury, and has never exhausted its ( 
stores of rage. The rebellion in the Soudan and the success of their 
fellow-Mohammedans emboldens tUem. They detect signs of weak- 
ness in England, and begin to follow the onwaid march of Russia 
with the greatest interest; not because they would pieter the rule of 
Russia to Biitish rule, but because they would delight to see their 
oppressors overthrown. 

Revolutionary pamphlets are read aloud in the bazaars to groups 
of fanatics. The rajahs detest English officials, who are firm and 
just, ] admit, but offensive and haughty, and 'hey feel themselves 
more at ease with the Russians, who allow their customs, tolerate 
their vices, and are more indulgent to Oriental corruption. In fact, 



62 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

the Russian character harmonizes better with Asiatic tastes than is 
possible to English formality. Their loquacity and bright imagin- 
ation pleases the Hindoos better than the reserve and stillness of the 
English. The proud and haughty children of the sun hate to be 
ruled by mere administrators, and Russian women are received at 
the court of the rajahs as friends, while English women are treated 
as strangers. 

Kussia expends immense sums of money in quietly purchasing the 
Asiatic chiefs. India swaims with her emissaries, who sow disaffec- 
tion among the native races, excite discontent agaiust the English 
Government, stir up the pride of the Hindoos, persuade the victims 
of oppression to revolt in order afterward to proffer their help, and 
have used the incapacity of the Viceroy to deceive the vigilance of 
England. Of the thousands of addresses of sympathy and regret 
sent to Lord Ripon on his leaving India, the greater part were drawn 
up by the secret agents of Russia to reassure the United Kingdom 
as to the loyally of its Hindoo subjects, ami to entice the Viceroy 
through his vanity into saying, as he did say at the moment of his 
departure, that the country had never been more attached or tran- 
quil. In short, the Russians sigh for the sun of India, and the height 
of their ambition is to see the standard of the Czar hoisted at Gov- 
ernment House. 



TWELFTH LETTER. 

THE IRISH QUESTION. 

Beforc 1 discuss the Irish question 1 wish to say a word to those 
who have ignorantly called it a war of races. If 1 could enter upon 
an ethnological treatise I should be able to prove that half England 
is of the same origin as Ireland, and the appellation " Anglo-Saxon 
race," which really makes England a German colony, is as errone- 
ous as it is wrongly interpreted. The two words, "Anglo" and 
" Saxon," are almost a repetition of each other, for the Amgles are 
the people who came from the Don, and became the Saxons, and 
the Danes of Schleswig, who afterward invaded Norway; and later, 
under the name of Scandinavians, Scotland and the east of Eng- 
land. In reality, these two words are only one, and Anglo-Sajron is 
a pleonasm, just as England— land of the Angles— is too exclusive 
a term; for the country is peopled by Latin, Celtic, and Scandi- 
navian races. The Normans invaded the south of the country, but 
the west, from Cornwall to the extremity of the Highlands of Scot- 



THE SOCIETY OP LONDON. 63 

land, belongs, like Ireland, to the Celtic race. It is not, therefore, 
the antagonism of races that has caused the oppression ot Ireland; 
it is rather an anlagonism of caste, a war at first of interest and now 
of passion, excited by these injured interests. Like nearly all the 
internal conflicts which rend countries governed by a powerful 
nobility, it is a war oi caste, and Ireland has its most formidable 
enemies in its own aristociacy. 

This conflict between the aristocratic owners of the soil and the 
people who rent it also threatens England nearly. The malcontents 
are even beginning to raise their heads in Scotland— a tranquil 
country, hitherto guarded by only 3320 policeman, while Ireland 
requires 25,000. The desire for properly is showing itself among 
the little farmers ot Skye and Lewis, and the laborers of Tiree 
threaten to take possession of the land by force it their claims are 
not listened to. This is the beginning of a gieat movement, which, 
before long, will embrace all the north of England, where a Laud 
League is already formed, as in Scotland and in Ireland. 

I can only give you the broad outline of the origin of the revolts 
and the oppression which have made a bleeding victim of Ireland. 

A great many books have been written on the subject, and 1 advise 
you to read the last, " La Question lilandaise," by Mr. Herve. 
Every one knows what Ireland suffertd under Elizabeth, and no 
more unhappy nation ever struggled with greater heroism against a 
more cruel despotism. Until the time ot Elizabeth, Ireland was a 
vassal only in name, and under Henry VIII. she even possessed a 
National Parliament. Elizabeth, in spite of the letters-patent that 
her father had granted to the chiefs ot the Irish Parliament, in order 
to reconcile them by securing their possession of the land, destroyed 
the tradition of this intelligent policy. Regardless of acquired 
rights, and of her father's promises, she parceled out the grants of 
land, and gave or sold them to English colonists. 

Cromwell came, and crowned the work of spoliation by having 
the malcontents massacred. Then he peopled the north of the 
island with foreigners, to whom grants of land had been made, thus 
sowing the seeds of the fatal discord, which has lasted to our own 
day, between the Catholics and the Orangemen. 

The heart-rending history of the subjugation of Ireland has been 
one long martyro'ogy for the unfortunate sist;r island, a lugubrious 
tale ot moral and physical suffering, a perpetual death struggle, 
prolonged by Ireland's amazing vitality. 

Whether England understands and admits it or not, she will not 



G4 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 

find a nation in the whole world who does not stigmatize these crimes 
in her history, and fe*l the deepest sympathy for Ireland. 

An apparently benevolent reaction has taken place in our day, 
and timidly tried to iniliate an era of reparation for the wrongs of 
the miserable country. Unfortunately, nearly all the bills proposed 
in its favor have been successively and systematically rejected by the 
House of Lords. Ireland has its representatives in Parliament; but 
the little band, always looked upon with suspicion, imprisoned, ex- 
pelled, crushed by an arbitrary majority, can not secure redress for 
her wrongs and the recovery of her liberties. 

There are two forces whose indomitable power will, in the end, 
triumph over the cruelty and resistance of England; these are 
national feeling and religious faith. Among the few concessions 
made to Ireland is liberty of conscience, and Mr. Gladstone has a 
claim on the eternal gratitude of the Irish tor having abolished that 
flagrauf. injustice, the English Established Church. Civil equality 
between Catholics and Protestants, and liberty of education, have 
also been granted them. Poor slaves, they have not yet got beyond 
these mere preliminaries of progress! Ireland is an entirely agricult- 
ural nation, living on the produce of its laud, and is decimated by 
a bad harvest as if by a war. Agrarian reform is a question of life 
and death; to it belongs the task of effacing the iniquitous work of 
conquest, and relieving the frightful poverty due to the despotic 
rule that grinds down these poor aliens in their own country. 
Agrarian reform will also provide a remedy for the periodical risings 
of the agricultural population against the land-owners. A succes- 
sion of bills were proposed, notably the Land Act, of 1870, and that 
of 1881, to regulate the relations between tenants and land-owners 
in a more equitable manner, and to put some restraint on the arbi- 
trary exactions of the latter. 

These reforms allow the tenants to keep possession, in spite of the 
land-owners, thanks to the creation of special commissions, empow- 
ered to fix rents on the demand of the tenants. The value of prop- 
erty having been lessened 25 per cent., the land owners claim, 
through the Tories, an indemnity, which the Whigs reject as unfair. 
The latter ground their refusal on the well-founded accusation that 
for long years the land-owners have abused their rights, oppressed 
the people, and extorted exorbitant rents. The repulsed plaintiffs 
secretly put every obstacle in the way of the Land Commission. 

Such concessions, yielded so grudgingly, leavened by so much bad 
feeling, have not, as you may readily suppose, appeased the Irish. 
What they demand is not the charity of a few meager laws; it is the 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOK. 65 

acknowledgment of their natural rights; and they rest the question 
on the grounds of the deadly conflict between legal right and tradi- 
tional right. Ireland will never be governed by English ideas. Its 
lasting tranquillity can only be purchased by granting it a local Par- 
liament. At the mere sound of " Home Rule " a tempest rages in 
the two houses. 1 have talked with Mr. O'Leary, Mr. McCarthy, 
and other Parnellites, and they all assure me that Ireland wants 
nothing but a Parliament. That granted, there would be an end to 
the conflict. She wants what Austria has given to Hungary, 
Sweden to Norway, and she would accept the supremacy of the 
Queen. Mr. Gladstone, and a good many Liberals, have been won 
over to this just cause; but the Lords will never admit it; so the 
struggle must go on indefinitely. 

Thanks to the efforts of Grattan, Ireland possessed a National 
Parliament at the beginning of this century, but committed the un- 
pardonable fault of selling it (the expression is not too severe) to the 
English Minister, William Pitt, and it was by its own vote amal- 
gamated with the English Parliament. This was abdicating the 
autonomy that had Deen won, and rendering fruitless the work of 
the great patriot Grattan— who alone had opposed Great Britain, and 
wrung from it this glorious concession. 

Until the days of liberty return, tyranny goes on multiplying its 
crimes, and is repaid by outrages of all kinds. Vanquished, patriotic 
Ireland uses every means to make its animosity felt, and has to be 
reckoned with as an enemy in every Imperial crisis. 

The National League is growing; the two parties of Home Rule 
and of Fenianism— that is to say, on one side la?v and order in ex- 
change for autonomy; on the other, rehabilitation by revolution — 
are progressing with tacit unanimity. It would be childish to assert 
that these forces can be destroyed; in spite of the violence of all 
kinds that Ireland has suffered for three centuries, she still exists. 
Famine, carnage, massacre, all have failed to exhaust her. There 
is no longer time for self-deception; a sincere policy of generous 
reparation must at once be inaugurated by England, or all the sons 
of Ireland will unite to deliver their mother-country. 

Irish emigrants, fleeing from famine, or driven from their homes 
because they could not pay their rent, dared the perils of the sea in 
floating charnel-houses, in which the human cargo was lessened 
every hour by starvation and exhaustion. They went to seek another 
country which would be less cruel to them.. They landed on the 
shores of Canada and of the United Slates, with hatred of England 
in their hearts, but also a burning love for their Irish home. A 
3 



66 THE SOCIETY OE EOHDOH. 

miserable seed for the harvest of the future did devastated Ireland 
cast on a foreign shore! From this seed Fenianism has sprung. 
The tares have mingled "with the wheat; and from across the ocean 
that bore these despairing emigrants will come revenge upon their 
oppressors. 

Tlie opportune moment will be decided by some agrarian agita- 
tion in Scotland, a revolt in India, or a foreign war. On that day, 
my noble Lords, where will you find means of resistance? It will 
then be too late, and the question will be settled by revolution, since 
you would not allow it to be solved by law. But the time has not 
yet come for entire deliverance, and until Ireland belongs to the 
Irish, India to the Indians, and Egypt to the Egyptians, England 
will continue to rule her states and her colonies. Ireland might be 
easily quieted now if Home Rule were granted her; but would a 
loc:»l Parliament be a lasting remedy? It may be doubted. Reforms 
will not suffice until the old rancor, the inveterate enmity constantly 
stirred up by agitators, is entirely destroyed. 

The great agitator, Mr. Parnell, is considered by the Irish as a 
second Liberator. A true Spartan, utterly indifferent to the pleas- 
ures ot lite, he is chief of the Home Rulers, and the one most feared 
by the English Parliament as an " irreconcilable." It was he who, 
at Cincinnati, in 1880, made this declaration to his American 
brethren, " No one of us will be satisfied until we have destroyed 
the last link that binds Ireland to England." 

An orator by the force of his convictions rather than by natural 
eloquence, he is only entirely himself when addressing his con- 
stituents, an ever-increasing body; forthe whole of Ireland contends 
for him at each election. He can do much good or much ill to his 
country. The journal " United Ireland n is his organ. The 
Ministers recognize his power, and treat him with deference, even 
with consideration. 

In a previous letter 1 had an opportunity of mentioning Lord 
Spencer, the Viceroy or Lord-lieutenant of Ireland. Among the 
chief secretaries who have governed Ireland, Mr. Forster and Mr. 
Trevelyan have made the deepest impression; but what can a Minis- 
ter do when the laws that he enforces are tyrannical laws, mere 
engines for the oppression of the people whom he governs? 

The present Minister is Mr. Bannerman, a person of moderate 
abilities, who talks little, but work3 hard; he is rich, superior to 
temptations, practical and just. He is a Scotchman and a Liberal. 
Mr. Trevelyan wis sensitive, Mr. Forster susceptible; but Mr. Ban- 
nerman possesses a serenity quite above provocation, though he 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOH. 67 

allows no one to intrude or encroach upon him; and it would be 
dangerous to try to bribe hirn. He has courage and good-sense, but 
his heart is as hard as bis head is strong, and he is utterly incapable 
of eathusiasm. 

Th* Irish are a sociable, intelligent, and witty people, gifted with 
marvelous elasticity and a sympathetic, generous nature; very clear - 
Sighted, and endowed with a spirit of organization and administra- 
tion, but indolent and uncertain. The upper classes in Ireland are 
well educated and very agreeable in society. 

The English justly appreciate the intellectual value of their neigh- 
bors, and take its great men from the Emerald Isle, without regard- 
ing themselves as its debtors, for they carefully ignore the source of 
their wealth. Among the illustrious dead, hew many names ot 
Irishmen can one enumerate without a moment's thought, such as 
Wellington, Sheridan, Swift, Moore, and Goldsmith! Lord 
Dufierin, Lord Charles Beresford, and Lord Wolesley are in men's 
mouths to-day, while many leading journalists, eloquent preachers, 
distinguished men in all the professions, are natives of Ireland. 



THIRTEENTH LETTER. 

THE MEN OF THE DAY. 

In this letter 1 am about to speak of some leading politicians, not 
included in any previous group, of remarkable men in the army 
and navy, and of a few other people. 

To begin with, I will take Mr. Forster, ex-Secretary of State for 
Ireland, the most variable weathercock in a political world; the 
word " tergiversator " must have been invented for him. Starting 
as a Radical, he has gradually become a link between Conservatives 
and Liberals. The world begins and ends for him in the House of 
Commons, or, at most, does not extend beyond the Lords, and w hen 
he is busy in getting a law passed, he thinks only of the success of 
the moment, and troubles himself very little about the effect the law 
will have when it is in operation; yet he has proposed some useful 
measures, the Education Bill in 1870, and the Ballot Bill in 1872. 
He speaks well without being an orator, and under an air of simple 
good-nature conceals strong common sense, practical sagacity, and 
consummate skill. 

His wife is charming, amiable, and refined, and the diplomatic 
world crowds her drawing-room, 



68 THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOK. 

Although Lord Dufterin has just left us, to govern India, the im- 
portant part that he has played makes him so prominent, and the 
task that he is now fulfilling is so closely allied with the greatest 
interests of England that 1 can not be silent about the ex-Viceroy of 
Canada, the ex-Embassador at St. Petersburg, Constantinople, etc. 

A liberal, generous, keen politician, a born leader, clever, and 
patient, very popular, a consummate administrator, he is distin- 
guished in everyway, and has everywhere acquired respect and 
esteem. He captivates those whom he governs by the charm of bis 
manners, by his generous hospitality, his exquisite courtesy, his im- 
partiality, his upright principles. Nothing escapes him; in Canada, 
he studied the country and its resources thoroughly; in London he 
has raised the tone of society, and gained the name of " our only 
diplomatist." In a new country he quickly takes the measure of his 
adversaries, and fights them with their own weapons. His experi- 
ence in Russia, Turkey, and Egypt has well prepared him for India. 
An indefatigable worker, he does everything himself with the help 
of a single private secretary. He has sound -judgment and perfect 
tact ; he polishes and repolishes his speeches until they are models 
of literary excellence, and at this moment is writing a book on Rus- 
sia, which will certainly be very interesting. His courage equals 
his energy, and if he had been appointed Lord-lieutenant of Ireland 
many disasters would have been avoided and many improvements 
effected. As a man he is eclectic, original, eccentric; very English 
in appearance, with a deceptive Mephistopheles air; an eye-glass is 
always in his eye. His after-dinner speaking is unrivaled, and he 
knows how to make a compliment in a few words worth more than 
volumes. Thus he thrilled old Moltke with pleasure by saying, " I 
have shaken hands with Wellington, and now I am shaking hands 
with the greatest soldier living." 

His receptions are rigorously select, and never exceed two hun- 
dred guests. At his soirees charades are often acted, and he takes a 
brilliant part. He is a wonderful story-teller, and occasionally con- 
descends to a comic style. He is very popular wherever he goes, 
and much liked bj all who know him. Lord Dufferin is certainly 
an ornament to Ireland, and in India he may accomplish great things 
if circumstances are not too strong for him. He is not yet sixty 
years old. 

Now 1 will speak of Bradlaugh; although after the elegance and 
distinction of Lord Dufrerin, you may think him a vulgar topic. 
Bradlaugh is the most advanced man in the country, and nas been 
compared to Danton. If he has the same power, the same tragic 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDON. 



69 



gayety in the midst of national troubles, lie has a great deal moie 
cunning. Formerly a dragoon, then a solicitor's clerk, he made 
himself known by his lectures on atheism, Malthusianism, and re- 
publicanism. His physical strength, and his unlimited audacity, 
have given him great influence with the masses; his profound faith 
in himself and in his mission compels their admiration. He is a 
powerful speaker, but delights in quibbles, and is more of a lawyer 
than a statesman. In Parliament he is an enfant terrible, whose 
mouth must be shut at every moment to prevent his making revela- 
tions which would convulse the House with horror and indignation. 
His programme is simple: Disestablishment of the Church, abolition 
of monarchy, universal suffrage, nationalization of the land, sup- 
pression of the aristocracy. You know how the House has treated 
him as a reprobate, suspended, and excluded him. Not being per- 
mitted to take the oath, he sits at the door like an outsider, not 
among the other members. He has a keen, observant mind; his 
eccentricity is only on the surface; and in any great social agitation 
1 should not wonder if he took the lead. 

Sir Wilfrid Lawson— a Radical—the inveterate enemy of alcohol, 
has not precisely a " holiday " face; pwblic-houses are a horror to 
him, and* every year the anti-beer baronet brings forward a " Per- 
missive Prohibition Bill," tor the entire closing of public-houses on 
the Sabbath clay. 

Sir Thomas Brassey is the son of a great financier, great con- 
structor of railways, and great philanthropist, who was one of the 
most upright, the most honorable, and the most benevolent men of 
his time. °He employed nearly 80,000 workmen at a time, and con- 
structed railways costing £17,000,000. His life was most exemplary. 
His son, Sir Thomas Brassey, passed his childhood in France. He 
is a devoted son, well-informed, practical and useful, and a re- 
markable book, " Work and Wages," proves him to be a capable 
writer. His place in Parliament is enviable; the justice of his 
views with regard to the relations of Labor and Capital is much ap- 
preciated; while his acquaintance with all maritime matters, ports 
and docks, makes him valuable. Although he is not an orator, he 
is always listened to with attention. He sits among the Liberals, 
and has recently been appointed Secretary of the Admiralty. He is 
an excellent amateur sailor, and considered the best pilot in Eng- 
land. He has made a voyage round the world in his own boat, the 
♦' Sunbeam." He is affable and sociable, although he always seems 
preoccupied with some mental labor, and looks absent or pensive. 

Lady Brassey is a person of wide sympathies and great talent. 



70 THE SOCIETY OE LONDON". 

She interests herself much in the question of the emancipation of 
women, and presides at meetings held on this subject. She writes 
well, and has published a very interesting nautical diary. 

Before leaving the politicians, t wish, in the name of humanity, 
to pay a tribute of admiration and gratitude to that great, good man, 
Mr. Plimaoll. While others are busily inventing means for destroy- 
ing their fellow-creatures, Plimaoll, by a law, forcibly extorted from 
Parliament, has saved the lives of thousands of obscure heroes of 
the sea. But he is dreaded for his truth-telling, and has not been 
re-elected. His powerful and eloquent book is an outburst of feel- 
ing from a generous heart. 

1 now turn to the army. The English army has at its head two 
generals, round each of whom stands a group of partisans— Gen- 
eral Roberts and Lord Wolseley, with their respective followers, the 
Robert ists and the Wolseleyites. Much jealousy and many passions 
rage under cover of these two names. There are several brave 
officers whom I should like to name, but the stir that has been made 
about these two generals forces n:e to speak especially of them. 

General Roberts, a man pf extraordinary energy, has a very fine 
head, and very haughty way of holding it. He can not be exactly 
said to be a born soldier, and yet he possesses all the qualities that 
command success. He demands from his men all that they can 
give, but never more, and succeeds iu attaching them to him. His 
brilliant campaign in Afghanistan displayed all his military talents, 
and although he has learned much by experience, yet he owes some- 
thing to chance. He is very popular in the army, and the Queen 
likes him very much, and has given him several proofs of her re- 
gard. 

Lord Wolseley of Cairo, the conqueror of the King of Dahomey, 
the hero of Tel-el-Kebir, the commander-in-chief of the army in the 
Soudan, is the most restless of men. The Ashantees called him 
" the man who never slops." He has won his position inch by inch, 
and has great military ability. Unlike General Roberts, he is al- 
ways ready to receive a new idea, to weigh it and to assimilate it; 
but he is headstrong, arbitrary, intolerant, vindictive, and unjust, 
and he can not endure contradiction. He possesses an iron frame 
and a determined will. He is not more lenient to himself than to 
others. When he was in Cyprus he was attacked by fever, but — 
more indomitable than the malady — he mounted his horse, and in 
spite of his weakness and the trembling of the ague, holding on as 
well as he could in his exhausted condition, he galloped round the 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON-. 71 

island to the amazement of every one. The shaking, the heat, and 
the fatigue caused a reaction, and he was cured. 

Like Louis XIV., Napoleon, and Wellington, Wolseley is a keen 
judge of men, and chooses those who will serve himself best. He 
is liked by his own partisans, but detested by a great part of the 
army; and the Roberlists, in spite ot their patriotism, feel little re- 
gret for his recent failure. He also has a good many enemies in the 
navy. In private life he has agreeable manners. He is short in 
stature, but his head is well shaped. He is over fifty, and was born 
in Ireland. He married one of the prettiest Canadians ever imported 
into England. 

The most popular of the foreign princes in the service of England 
is Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar, brother of Prince Gustavus of 
Saxe Weimar, whom I mentioned in my letters from Vienna." I 
can not speak ot Prince Edward and Prince Gustavus without re- 
calling the S3 mpathetic face of another brother, Prince Hermann, 
who lives at Stuttgart. He is a man of exceptional moral worth, 
perhaps the most admirable prince in Europe, and 1 admire and 
love him tor the largeness and nobility of hs mind, and the warmth 
of his heart. 

Prince Edward is a naturalized Englishman, and was born during 
his mother's residence at Bushey Park in 1823. Her sister, Queen 
Adelaide, widow of William IV., having no children, adopted the 
young prince, undertook his education, brought him up as her own 
son, and made a thorough Englishman of him. He entered the 
Grenadier Guards, -find served as captain during the Crimean War, 
taking part in the battles of Alma and Balaklava. He lose to the 
rank of General of Infantry, and will soon receive the rank of 
Field-marshal. He is now Governor of Portsmouth. 

His wife, a sister of the Duke of Richmond, is a very great lady, 
and does the honors of her house like a queen. She has a large 
share in the popularity of her husband. 

The navy boasts of many great men, but I will only mention 
Admiral Lord Alcester and Lord Charles Bereslord, whose names 
are intimately connected with the Egyptian campaign. 

Lord Alcester, Commander of the Channel Fleet, is sixty-four 
years of age. He was intrusted with the bombardment of Alex- 
andria. He is one of those rare men who have the good-fortune to 
eucceed without making enemies. He is every man's friend, and 
never having wounded or offended any, he is extremely popular in 
the navy, where popularity is difficult to win. He enjoys the con- 
fidence of his subordinates, and he could lead them everywhere. 



72 THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOlf. 

His fine figure, that looks so well in his admiral's uniform, as he 
paces the quarter-deck, has got him the nickname of " the Swell of 
the Ocean." Much liked in society, he has a large circJe of friends, 
and his epistolary taste leads him to keep up a very active corre- 
spondence. 

A glorious career may be predicted for the gallant tar, Lord 
Charles Beresford, whose services as commander of the " Condor " 
are still fresh in every one's memory. Frank and simple, of a gen- 
erous, open disposition, he is always ready to do noble deeds, and 
has more than once risked his life to save the lives of the humblest 
men who were drowning, and whom no one else on board would 
have assisted. In any danger he is always well to the front. He is 
a great friend and favorite of the Prince of Wales, and went with 
him to India as naval aid-de-camp. He will one day have the 
command of the Mediterranean Fleet. He is much regretted in 
Parliament, where he sat for six years. His speeches— careful, but 
not pedantic, earnest, and unaffected— were distinguished for their 
tact and good taste, and he is as much at home in the House as on 
the deck of his ship. He is a moderate Conservative. 

In the first campaign in Egypt Lord Wolseley did not give Lord 
Charles Beresford the position he deserved. After services so brill- 
iant and so decisive, he had a right to the first rank in the staff of 
the Khedive. But he has the future before him. In the campaign 
of the Soudan he has done wonders, and Lord Wolseley has com- 
plimented him in the presence of the whole army. 

In the expedition across the desert Lord Charles found himself 
admiral of a fleet of camels. An amusing incident is his finding, 
in one of his first campaigns, a little Chinese boy, who became his 
servant, and was one of the most comical little creatures ever seen. 
Lord Charles Beresford's wife is one of the prettiest and most 
charming women in London. 

Col. Henderson, the head of the police, is a curious and interest- 
ing person. He has occupied a number of positions which most 
people would not have considered very delightful. He was sent as 
Government Commissioner to settle the boundaries of Nova Scotia 
and New Brunswick; tvas almost killed and remained for five day*' 
without food. Next he was sent to New South Wales as head oi 
the Convict System there; afterward he was made Director and In- 
spector-general of London Prisons. He is now at the head of the 
police force, a post that he fills as if he had been specially made by 
Heaven for the purpose. There is not a policeman who does not 
respect and love him. He is a loyal-hearted kindly man, quite un- 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDOH. ?3 

suspicious; so that in bis presence no one feels inclined to make 
mysteries, but becomes frank and confidential. He has never be- 
trayed a professional secret; and yet what curious memoirs he could 
write! He is an artist of some merit, and a pleasant companion. 

One word about the Attorney-general, Sir Henry James. He is 
the most witty man in London. 

Who does not know the Director of the South Kensington Mu- 
seum, Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen, the author and organizer of all the 
great exhibitions in which England has taken part? Fifty-six years 
of age, the son of a sailor, plain-dealing, obliging, with frank, agree- 
able'manners, and a kindly nature, a hard worker, a great linguist, 
and thoroughly well acquainted with his Museum. 

Let us now talk of the best known and most envied woman in 
the three kingdoms, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts. Her grandfather, 
a Scottish Lowlander, married, for his second wife, the celebrated 
actress, Miss Mellon, afterward Duchess of St. Albans, who, at her 
death, left all her fortune 10 Miss Angela Burdett, who thus became 
the richest heiress in London, and had to reject many aspirants to 
her hand. She was, however, a woman of good -sense, judgment, 
and energy, and she skillfully piloted her way, avoiding rocks and 
shoals, and took for her companion and ally a Mrs. Brown, who 
remained faithful to her all her life. 

The Baroness was a friend of Napoleon III. Her fortune is very 
large, and she devotes much of it to good works. She has founded 
a bishopric, and built Columbia Market; indeed, her benevolence 
and her generosity are as inexhaustible as her wealth. She has been 
the patroness and friend of many men who have since become 
eminent—Sir James Brook, the Rajah of Sarawak, Henry Irving, 
etc. With an impulsive nature, and much warmth of heart, she 
has also great sagacity and self-control; she is remarkably well in- 
formed, and keeps herself cm courcmt of every subject. 

When she gives f^tes it is done rightly royally. One day she in- 
vited the whole of the Belgian volunteers. 

About six years ago she lost her faithful companion, and the 
death of this valuable friend induced her to alleviate her solitary 
existence by marrying her secretary, Mr. Bartlett. Mr. Bartlett is 
a handsome man, tall, and well made, with regular features, and a 
very agreeable face. Mr. Bartlett is sagacious, energetic, and in- 
telligent. He understands the importance of his position as the 
husband of the Baroness. His wife is saluted by the people as if 
she were a queen. 



74 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



FOURTEENTH LETTER. 

powers in the state. 

Clubs— the Press. 

The mass of the people imagine that a State is ruled by means ot 
great institutions, but in reality a State is governed by influences; 
and the men who bear official titles, and are seen and judged and 
considered responsible by tne public, are only the outward manifes- 
tation of all that acts upon them. 

Mr. Gladstone made war in Egypt under the pressure of the 
capitalists. 

flow many statesmen, like Lord Hartington, form their will on 
the will of another! How many obey occult influences! How 
many are the slaves of interests foreign to that of the State— in- 
terests of money, family! 

Under cover of social customs, political salons play a very active 
part in London Parliamentary life. 

1 have already spoken of the principal political salons of London: 
that of Lord Spencer is the most attractive; Lord Granville's is too 
official; and the receptions ot Sir W, Vernon Harcourt are dull. 
Lord Salisbury and Sir Algernon Borthwick have scions that are 
largely attended. 

Many influences make themselves felt in politics; there is the in- 
fluence of the Church, the influence of the universities, the influence 
of leagues, agrarian leagues, peace parties, parties of arbitration, Df 
education, etc., which constantly harass the ministers. 

But the great authority that governs England — a power unknown 
in other countries — is the influence of the Clubs and the Press. 

1 will not try to give you a description ot all the clubs; it would 
fill volumes; I will only sketch the political clubs. 

Clubs.— The role played by clubs in England in no way resembles 
that which belongs to those institutions on the Continent. They 
represent every opinion, all social wants and all pleasures. There 
are clubs political, diplomatic, literary, dramatic, financial, naval, 
military, etc.— the list is a long one. There are also philanthropic 
clubs, religious clubs, clubs for workmen and clubs for women. I 
am silent upon those that only belong to sports, music, art, etc., and 
those that have no special aim. 

The most interesting club of all, that which makes and unmakes 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOK. . 75 

men, the occult force that governs England, is the political club. 
The Carlton Club, fortress of the Tories, and the Refoim Club, the 
intrenched camp of the Liberals, form the antechamber to Parlia- 
ment. Laws are there discussed, decisions taken, lines of conduct 
decided on before arriving at the Palace of Westminster, which has 
itself been called " The Great Western Club." There meetings are 
held by gioups of politicians, and the policy of the country is 
planned. A leader ot Parliament never fails a meeting of his party 
at the club, although he may not be present at 1 he sitting of the 
House. 

A little incident will prove how jealous the clubs are of the integ- 
rity ot their principles. Mr. Carvell Williams, the champion of the 
party for the separation of Church and State, having tried to enter 
the Reform Club, was blackballed for his political opinions. The 
club wished to show that the principle of (he separation of Church 
and State did not form a part of the programme of its party. 

Mr. Gladstone laid, a short time ago, the first stone of the National 
Liberal Club in Northumberland Avenue, which already counts 
about 3500 applicants in the provinces, and 2000 or 3000 in London.' 
The aim of these two clubs is not to have, as formerly, a kind of 
choice restaurant, but to create a center, where electors can ex- 
change their opinions, members meet their leaders, where the party 
can hold its meetings, and debate its resolutions— a kind of grand 
preparatory council, a chamber of opinion, head-quarters whence 
orders will be issued. 

There are many other clubs besides those 1 have mentioned. The 
Conservatives have the Conservative, the Beaconsfield, the Junior 
Carlton, the St. Stephen's, etc. ; the Liberals the Devonshire, of 
which Lord Harticglon is the President, the Cobden, etc. There is 
also the St. James's, trie club of embassadors and the diplomatic 
world, and a number of others, including a Fiench club, " La So- 
ciete Nationale Francaise," that is in a very prosperous condition. 

The clubs have long governed the country; they were the hot- 
beds of politics; newspapers got their inspiration from them, and 
echoed their ideas, deciding ail questions after them ; and the prov- 
inces received their opinions ready-made from the journals, which 
had taken theirs from the clubs. Now a new movement of decen- 
tralization has begun; politicians have reversed the old custom, and 
instead of shutting themselves up in their clubs, they go to their 
counties, make speeches, listen to and consult the people, and then 
come back and make their wants known in London. It is a rever- 
sion of things that has been very salutary to the country, and it is 



70 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

due especially to Mr. Gladstone, the propagator of this principle, 
for which reason he is all-powerful in the provinces. The influence 
of the political clubs is, however, still very great; they remain the 
basis of operation for the maneuvers of each Parliamentary group ; and 
the politicians and leading journals, feeling the common danger to 
their influence, have become reconciled to each other, and coalesced. 

The Press.— The Continental Prets gives no idea whatever of the 
English Press. It is impossible to conceive its importance without 
having made a special study of it. The Press everywhere holds the 
hrst place, and it is not, as it has been called, the fourth estate, but 
the first. It is the Press that governs England; a great journal like 
the " Daily Telegraph" is as powerful as Mr. Gladstone, and the 
" Times " is more powerful than both Houses of Parliament. 

The Press has a legislative initiative to which Parliament submits; 
it inspects and controls the Ministry, and fulfills the functions of the 
Ministers themselves. It has become the best of embassadors, and 
is justly called " the grand inquisitor of the nation." The journals 
compose a popular Parliament—a court of justice, a school of criti- 
cism on all the questions of the day, politics, morality, religion, 
taste, fashion, etc. And as advertising plays a considerable part in 
English lite, the newspaper is the greatest merchant in all England. 
To what does the Press owe its power, which dates from the Re- 
torm Bill of 1813? To the following causes: 

Journals of party, of conflict and of recrimination have almost 
disappeared; the organs of any value are bought by companies, and 
do not belong to an}' particular Minister or member, or to any special 
Parliamentary group. They have their individual tone, but are 
completely independent. This is the secret of their power; and one 
of the causes of that independence is that no article is signed. 

The English Press has a high position, and is entitled to the re- 
spect of all for its perfect honor. The journalists are able men, 
who inspire their readers with absolute confidence, never bringing 
each other into disrepute by injudicious attacks. Personalities be- 
tween journalists have ceased, and duels are unknown. Thanks to 
its system of correspondence all over the world, the English Press is 
usually better informed than the Ministers themselves, and is less 
exposed to being misled by ignorant, interested, or mistaken em- 
bassadors. Its leading articles are like Ministerial speeches. It 
seizes upon all great ideas, treats them with dignity, elevates them, 
makes the country take an interest in them, and forces them upon 
the legislators. It was the Press that fought the battles of the Corn- 
laws, Free-trade, and nearly every other great reform. 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 7t 

It may almost be said that the English Press has organized Eng- 
land, and that in the accomplishment of this work it discovered its 
own power. Sir Robert Peel- often said that, supported by the 
Press, he could defy Parliament. 

How many times Members and Ministers have found their policy 
and materials for their speeches in the arguments of the " Times!" 

A few years ago the journals were not the leaders ot public opin- 
ion, they only expressed it; but the Press became independent, and 
suffering no tutelage from Government or Parliament, assumes the 
glorious responsibility of leading opinion, and with a phalanx of 
such remarkable men at its head, no one contests its right to be the 
pioneer ana scout. 

The Press has destroyed the secret life of courts, parliaments, 
embassies, finance, business, etc.; everything is now done in broad 
daylight, and everything is open to the reporter. Tne society 
papers have their moral influence, like tne political and social satires 
of the comic journals; and let us add that the English Press shows 
more tact and good taste than the public itself. 

The monopoly of the guidance of public opinion does not belong 
entirely to the great London newspapers. Every town now has its 
daily papers, which have followed the example ot those of the 
metropolis, and are as mucn respected and listened to. The pro 
vincial press is as rich and as well informed as that of London. 
The " Manchester Guardian," tor instance, makes nearly £40,000 a 
year, and rivals the " Times." The influence of the London news- 
papers upon the provinces has therefore diminished, especially since 
politicians, escaping from the too exclusive atmosphere of the clubs, 
have addressed themselves directly to the country, and instead of 
dictating to it, learn its actual needs and wishes. 



FIFTEENTH LETTER. 

JOURNALS AND JOURNALISTS. 

In London the press enjoys unlimited liberty, but has the good taste 
and prudence not to abuse it. Only the " Society " journals are 
ever prosecuted, and to them the process is a good advertisement. 

There are in London several hundred newspapers; these may be 
divided into — 

Large and small daily papers. 

Special journals, local, comic, illustrated and society papers. 



?8 THE SOCIETY OP LONDON". 

Reviews and magazines. 

Miscellaneous publications. 

The most important daily papers are, the " Times," the " Daily- 
Telegraph, " the "Standard," the "Daily News." the "Morning 
Post," the " Daily Chronicle," the " Pall Mall Gazette," the " St. 
James's Gazette," the " Globe," and the " Echo." 

The " Times," which is the greatest European newspaper, for a 
long time enjoyed absolute sovereignty; but now it has rivals in the 
journals that I have just named. It belongs to no political party, 
and in order to preserve its entire independence and its neutrality, 
it keeps aloof from politicians in office. « The " Times " is especially 
the business journal— 1 he organ of the city. For two generations 
its authority has prevailed in all Parliamentary and legislative 
questions; it is still an oracle for nine persons out of ten, and when 
it gives its opinion in a discussion, the cause that it supports is won. 
All foreign journals anatyze or reproduce its articles, and in certain 
countries the policy of the " Times " is looked upon as the policy 
of England, and is accepted or disputed by friends and foes in the 
form given it by the journal of the city, tn India, Cairo, and Con- 
stantinople, the " Times" lays down the law with regard to the 
Eastern question and its connection with the interests of England. 

All the most eminent writers of the political and literary world 
have contributed to the "Times;" and even serious authors, who 
generally prefer to write in the reviews rather than in newspapers, 
have always made an exception in its favor. Barnes used to read 
the leading reviews with great care, and whenever he discovered a 
man of mark would attach him to the staff of the " Times." Now 
the great rival organs have contributors who equal those of the 
" Times;" but no other pnper has the prestige that gives such im- 
portance to everything published in it. It is the only journal that 
costs threepence, all the others being sold at a penny. 

The " Daily Telegraph " is next, if not equal, in importance to 
the " Times." It has shown intelligence in the choice of its con- 
tributors, and was the means of introducing George Augustus Sala 
— the most original and perhaps the most popular of English jour- 
nalists. It was the " Daily Telegraph " that sent Stanley to explore 
Africa, and Mr. George Smith, the archaeologist, to excavate Assyria 
and Mesopotamia, where he found marvels, and among other things 
the Assyrian narrative of the deluge, it is a curious fact that the 
" Daily Telegraph " came as a bad debt into the hands of Messrs. 
Levy & Lawscn, who now owe the greatest part of their fortune to 
it. Formerly Liberal, it has become Conservative, or Libeial-Con- 



THE SOCIETY OF LOSTDOH. 79 

servative, and it is asserted that this conversion was effected by 
Lord Beaconsfield. It is a journal of the highest value, admirably 
well-informed, prudent, thoughtful, and analytical in its opinions, 
and it possesses great authority. 

The "Standard," the champion of Protestantism, the defender 
of the Ihrone and of the Constitution, had long been simply an echo 
of the Conservative leaders, the reflection of Lord Derby and 
Disraeli; but since Mr. Mudford has been at its head, it has become 
an independent Conservative. Like the " Telegraph," the " Stand- 
ard " is a paper of the first rank, and any one interested in politics 
is bound to read it, for all questions are thoroughly discussed in it_ 
If a journal were not now independent, it would soon find itself 
without readers. The time has passed when Pitt bought the 
" Courier," tried, but in vain, to buy the " Times," and founded 
the " Sun " to serve his party. 

The " Daily News/' called by Mr. Chamberlain the organ of the 
Dissenters, is now threatened with the withdrawal of their patron- 
age, for they accuse it of not taking sufficient interest in them, and 
of too great leniency toward the Established Church. The " Daily 
News "can afford to disregard these reproaches. It is the organ 
of Gladstonian Liberalism, though it does not hesitate to attack the 
Cabinet when errors are committed. Its success has greatly in- 
creased since the Franco-German war, as Mr. Robinson, its editor, 
had the good fortune to secure the services of Mr. Archibald Forbes, 
who has raised it to the unique position it now occupies. Another 
contributor, Mr. Labouchere, voluntarily stayed in Paris during the 
siege, and sent such remarkable accounts of it that they greatly added 
to the success of the journal. The " Daily News " is the most 
important of the Liberal organs; it therefore does not love Lord 
Randolph Churchill, and reduces his speeches to ten lines. It has 
boasted a number of celebrated contributors. Mr. Frank H. Hill's 
'* Political Portraits " do honor both to the writer and to the journal 
that published them. 

The " Morning Post," a, journal of the fashionable world, is di- 
rected by Sir Algernon Borthwick, an eminent writer and good 
speaker. It was formerly the organ of Lord Palmerston and Na- 
poleon 111., which proves the good understanding that existed be- 
tween these two. Created in 1772, it is the oldest of the London 
newspapers. It is independent, although it has always supported 
the Throne, the Church, the rights of property, and the aristocracy, 
to which it entirely belongs. The "Morning Post" always has 
special and very valuable information on diplomatic affairs, Sir 



80 THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOtf. 

Algernon Borthwick has studied politics abroad, and is much im- 
bued with French ideas. He is a perfect man of the world, with 
polished manners, and is much liked and esteemed. 

The " Pall Mall Gazette " was originated as an eveniug paper, 
and with the idea of applying the system of reviews to newspapers. 
It was Conservative; but four years ago Mr. John Morley, a nephew 
of the proprietor, inherited the journal, and had the audacity to 
transform it the very next day into a Radical organ. He lost many 
of his leaders, but found a great many more; and it has now be- 
come the special organ of cultivated and independent Radicalism. 
It was, and still is, a journal written by gentlemen for gentlemen. 
It was the first to call attention to the detective state of the navy. 
Mr. John Morley, M. P., an extremely agreeable and very distin- 
guished man, is one of the ornaments of his profession, and does 
honor to it. 

The " St. James's Gazette " is an excellent journal of criticism, 
politics, and social facts. 

1 must pass in silence over hundreds of journals in London, and 
only mention a few of the most interesting publications, such as 
" Truth," the " Referee," the" Sunday Times," the " World," the 
" Athenaeum," " Tit Bits," the " Stage," a theatrical journal that 
gives twenty-four pages of news for twopence, and the "Era." 
Must I remind you of the pomic illustrated journals, such as 
"Punch," "Judy," "Fun," "Funny Folks," etc.? "Punch" 
has been fortunate enough to possess for more than thirty years the 
rival of Gaivarni, the charming artist Du Maurier. 1 must give 
special mention to the best and most satirical society paper, " Van- 
ity Fair," in which a portrait caricature of one of the celebrities of 
the day appears every week, signed " Ape " ( Pelegrini) and " Spy " 
(Leslie Ward); these are masterpieces of drawing and humor. The 
journal is edited with tact and skill by Mr. Thomas Gibson Bowles, 
who signs "Jehu Junior" to the excellent articles vvrtiten by his 
hand. " Vanity Fair " is the most amusing society journal in ex- 
istence, and 1 have been glad to borrow some excellent things 
from it. 

The reviews are to newspapers what the House of Lords is to the 
Commons, a moderating power. The" Edinburgh," " Quarteily," 
"Contemporary," "Westminster," "Nineteenth Century," and 
the " Fortnightly " reviews are great and powerful organs, known 
all over the world. The " Saturday Review " sets an example ot 
complete independence; like the " Times," it even excludes from 
its statT politicians in office, to whatever party they belong. It pos- 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON" 81 

sesses the best pens of Oxford and of Cambridge, of the Temple and 
of Lincoln's Inn, of the Church and of the State. The " Specta- 
tor " is a formidable rival to it. 

English journals have no feuilletons. Before telegraph communi- 
cation the rivalry in the press consisted of how to obtain and pub- 
lish dispatches from India in the quickest manner. Now telegraphs 
and railways have combined to satisfy the requirements of English 
readers at a low rate. A wire to India only costs the journals £40 
a month, and they have the right to send a hundred words for a 
shilling. The London newspapers, in order to compete with those 
of the provinces, have united to send special trains at o a.m. that 
carry the earliest issues in all directions. I may add that the press 
has its agencies, the Central News Agency, the Press Association, 
and Reutei's Telegraphic Service, and its headquarters are Fleet 
Street and the Strand. 

Journalism, although so honored in England, does not lead to any- 
thing, and opens no door, especially not that of Parliament. The 
journalists remain anonymous and unknown, and never openly take 
part in any public struggle; they have general rather than personal 
prestige, and except for the proprietors of large journals, their pro- 
fession does not lead to fortune. Tne journalists sitting in Parlia- 
ment do not owe their position to their pens. 

Mr. George Augustus Sala is the roost popular journalist in Lon- 
don. Be has been an author, engraver, lecturer, critic, caricaturist, 
and pantomime writer. Hard-working, energetic, possessing a'l 
kinds of talents, he devoted himself to journalism, and as corre- 
spondent to the "Daily Telegraph" his reputation was instantly 
made. He is the most witty and the most amusing writer in the 
world; he depicts all that he sees in an animated, striking manner, 
and lends new interest to the most ordinary subjects. He is a very 
amiable man, with a great mind and a great heart, aud his knowl- 
edge is perfectly encyclopedic. 

But the most extraordinary person among journalists is Mr. Arch- 
ibald Forbes. At first sight you would take him for a German 
officer, with his white helmet, white jacket and breeches, and high 
boots, a knapsack, and large field-glasses, and a pipe stuck in his 
waistband. The son of a Scotch clergyman, with a passion for ad- 
venture, he first entered the army, when he wrote very curious de- 
scriptions of military life, and afterward he became a journalist. He 
is the most perfect type of the war correspondent. 

He witnessed the Indian famine, and afterward went to India 



82 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

with the Prince of "Wales. He followed the Carlist war, and the 
war in Servia, also the campaigns in Ashantee and Zululand. 

Mr. Forbes's writings are not raeie reporting, but historical docu- 
ments. He has described royal visits, explosions in mines, battles, 
shipwrecks, and sieges, and he has risked his lite a hundred times. 
He passes about two years out of seven in London. He is a widower, 
and has two charming daughters. 

From time to time he gives lectures about his distant enterprises, 
and 1 have often gone to London on purpose to enjoy the treat. 

Mr. Burnand, the editor of "Punch," the prolific author of a 
number of burlesques and the adapter of a great many French pieces, 
is an ardent Catholic. He is a very brilliant man. and a hard 
worker; he has almost transformed " Panch," and his "Happy 
Thoughts " are some of the most amusing that Lave ever been pub- 
lished. He has a dozen children, many triends, and no enemies. 

Mr. Edmund Yates, the founder of the " World," was for many 
years employed at the Post-office. He has written some novels and 
his Dwn memoirs, edited " Temple Bar Magazine," given very suc- 
cessful lectures in America, and traveled a great deal in Europe as 
correspondent of the " New York Herald." 

Who does not know Mr. Labouchere, the editor of " Truth " aud 
member of Parliament, who wants to suppress the Monarchy, the 
Church, and the Lords? Many people try to appear better than 
they are; Mr. Labouchere endeavors to give a formidable idea of 
himself; he is a kind, generous, warm-hearted man. His conver- 
sation is most attractive most, brilliant, and most amusing. He is 
fifty-three years old, and entered the diplomatic circle before trying 
journalism. He has been editor of newspapers and manager of 
theaters. In Parliament he is a new Juvenal, and much dreaded. 
He has undertaken great commercial aud financial speculations. 

Baron Reuter is a German: he established his first telegraphic 
agency at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1849, and came to London in 1851, as 
soon as the first submarine cable was laid. His success dates from 
the day when he gave the threatening speech of Napoleon 111. to 
the Austiian Embassador— preliminary to the war in Italy— to Lon- 
don an hour after it had been made. 

Now he has not only the monopoly of the foreign news of the entire 
woild, but no other agency can compete with him. In the smallest 
towns he has agents in communication with ministers, bankers, 
governors, all those who furnish news; and this man, who holds in 
his hand the telegraphic wires of all Europe, who knows before any 
one all the political and financial news of the world, yet has never 



THE SOCIETY OE LONDOH. 83 

used this mighty machinery tor any personal end. What greater 
praise can be awarded him? 

During- the Franco-Prussian war, Berlin learned through him the 
triumphs of the German army. A naturalized Englishman, he was 
created a baron by a German princ3 in gratitude lor his services. 
Respected, rich, powerful, he is most popular in society. His wife 
is amiable and hospitable. English society has made the Baron 
warmly welcome, and he returns its good-will by great affection 
for England. 

SIXTEENTH LETTER. 

LITEKA11Y AND SCIENTIFIC MEN. 

Scientific men are scarcely to be found in society, not because 
it is closed to them, but these learned people are very independent, 
and detest fashion. They whose genius directs human thought can 
not find any pleasure in drawing-rooms. Study is their reward, and 
also their only pleasure. Darwin, a simple, unassuming man, whose 
irind influenced the whole world, did not even appear at the Royal 
Society or at most, only went there once a year. He preferred his 
little paradise at Down, in Kent, and the society of his children 
and his books. r , 

The Royal Society has not the solemnity of the Societe de trance; 
it is a kind of scientific club, and, like all English institutions, more 
private than official. The number of members is unlimited, and 
they do not receive any salary; but, on the contrary, pay a subscrip- 
tion in order to belong to it. 

They are not troubled by any uniform, and know nothing of 
badges, precedence, or restrictive regulations. Except that its ad- 
vice is asked by the Government on rare occasions, when there is a 
question of some scientific mission, the Royal Society has nothing 
to do with the State. It has about 600 members, and makes itself 
known to the public by publishing at its own expense " Philo- 
sophical Transactions." The members of the Royal Society are 
worthy citizens, who meet once a week at about halt-past eight in 
the evening, and religiously retire before twelve o'clock. 

The Royal Institution is very fashionable. The lectures given 
there are well attended, and offer an intellectual treat, for they are 
delivered bv the gieatest scientific men in England. . 

Besides the meetings of the Royal Institution, there are those of 
the Birkbeck, of the British Association, etc.; a mere list of their 
names would take me too long. 



84 THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOK. 

Among lecturers, Professor Tyndall is the favorite, and occupies 
at the Royal Institution the room formerly inhabited by Faraday and 
Davy. He is well known in Switzerland, where he makes scientific 
researches every year among the glaciers. Those who have not the 
good fortune to be admitted to his lectures, or who liave not climbed 
mountains with him, have never seen him; for these are the only 
occasions when he can be found out of his laboratory. These 
apostles of science for the love of science are the true type of the 
English savant; and in their society you breathe an atmosphere of 
honor, integritj', and of untiring work. The greatest simplicity 
rules their lives. To describe one is to describe them all, and 
though 1 could talk to you about Siemens, Ferguson, Huxley, Sir 
Joseph Hooker, and many more, I will content myself with a few 
words about Proctor and Sir John Lubbock, two irery interesting 
types. 

Professor Proctor, the great astronomer, is Secretary to the Royal 
Cosmographical Society. He has given lectures in Australia and in 
America. He is only forty-six years of age, but has written much 
and produced much. He is the editor of " Knowledge." 

Sir John Lubbock, the patron of ants, is a very inteiesting person, 
member aDd presideut of several scientific societies; mostly highly 
thought of in the commercial world (he is a banker), in the political 
world (he is an M.P.), in the learned world (he is a naturalist), in the 
literary world (he is the author of a remarkable book on the origin 
of civilization and the primitive condition of man); honors and titles 
have fallen at his feet without his having sought ihem; they are 
simple tributes of respect and admiration. 

He loves flowers, children, bees, ants— everything liliputian in 
nature; the weak are the constant objects of his solicitude. A 
benefactor to clerks, he promoted the bank holiday, or holiday gi^en 
four times a year to all clerks and assistants, and called in his honor 
" Saint Lubbock." His studies on ants are as interesting and amus- 
ing as a novel. 

In politics, Sir John Lubbock, who represents the University of 
London, is Liberal, but moderate in his views. He does not seek 
the overthrow of the English Church or the House of Lords, or of 
any established institution. He is just, upright, and independent; 
considerations of party have no influence with him. 

What can 1 say of literary men in so short a space? They deserve 
special study and an entire volume. Drama and fiction have many 
writers, and the women who use the pen occupy a brilliant place in 
the phalanx, The novels of the late George Eliot, Miss Braddon, 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON 85 

Mrs Henry Wood, Mrs. Oliphant, and of many others, are well 
known all over the Continent. Death has lately made great gaps in 
the world of literature, and struck down Darwin, Anthony Trollope 
George Eliot, Thackeray, Carljle, and a tew years ago Dickens and 

St Wilkie Collins may be called the inventor oi the sensational novel. 
His plan is to pique curiosity and excite surprise, enchaining the 
reader to every page, and forcing him to go on, even against his 
will to the end of the hook. The plot of his novels is a labyrinth. 
Who does not know " Armadale," " No Name," " The Woman in 

White," etc? . . 

In London there are a considerable number of novel-writers, most 
of whDin have ability, and many talent of the highest order. 

Poetry possesses Lord Tennyson, the Poet -laureate, a favorite with 
the Queen the Court, and the aristocracy; but who has the great 
defect ot being too English, and of wrapping himself in supreme dis- 
dain for everything that is not BritiBh. He looks sadly upon things, 
and writes without enthusiasm or passion. The beautiful and true 
act upon him, but never take possession of him; and he is still in- 
spired by the tables of history, of which, 1 think, we have already 
heard enough; and though he loves great heroes, he is not himse f 
great enough to measure them. He has a perfect style and complete 
mastery over the English language. m 

It mav be said that Tennyson had prepared the way for Kuskm- 
that strange and mighty critic, who makes or ruins an artist with 
the stroke of his pen. Ruskin has exercised on his generation an 
influence as wide and more deep than that of Carlyle. In matters 
of taste, and in the art ot the beautiful, Carlyle suggested many 
problems, but Ruskin nas solved them. Ruskin is an Olympian 
without being so archaic as Tennyson. His spirit lives in light, and 
his ideal is not that of our time. He has the antique passion lor the 
beautiful For moie than half a century he has been preaching his 
crusade, and the ignorant masses are guided by him, as by a 
beacon He leads them toward the dawn, but does not enlighten 
them- charms, but can not convince them; the cultured alone, the 
elect,' appreciate his criticisms and admire them, though they are 
sometimes rather harsh. 

Browning, the antithesis of Tennyson, is always looking forward, 

thirsting for progress, longing for the ideal. His dreams even go 

beyond what he can accomplish, he tiies to drag inert humanity 

along with him, and each ol his lines says distinctly, " Follow me. 

Among English poets some turn to the past, others to the future; 



86 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 

but they all do their utmost to raise the moral level of the nation by 
their generous aspirations. 

Poets and literary men are much thought of in society, and most 
of them become rich; tor English publishers are intelligent men, 
who lea ?e a large share of the profits to a "well- known writer. 



SEVENTEENTH LETTER. 

PAINTERS AND THEIR STUDIOS. 

During the last thirty years art has made great progress in Eng- 
land, and the movement that produced it has been increasing in 
force every day since 1851. Owing to the impetus then given by 
the first International Exhibition the fine arts have begun to shed 
their beneficent influence over the whole of Great Britain. In Lon- 
don the two principal temples of art are the Royal Academy, in 
Piccadilly, and the Schools of Art at South Kensington. The Royal 
Academy is not a state institution, but is governed by a council com- 
posed of the principal artists of the country. It holds two exhibi- 
tions every year; one in the summer for the works of modern 
artists, the second during the winter, of paintings and drawings of 
the old masters, and of deceased English artists. The success of 
these exhibitions has become so great that the Academy received last 
year the sum of £21,000 for shilling admissions. 

The instructions to pupils, given gratuitously by the A.cade- 
micians, include drawing, painting, sculpture, and architecture. 

In 1835 a commission was named in Parliament, on the proposal 
of Mr. Ewart, member for Liverpool, to study the best means of 
spreading a taste and knowledge of the fine arts. A school vras 
opened in 1837, and in 1841 the Government decided to establish 
schools of design in all the manufacturing districts, and a depart- 
ment of practical arts was created under the superintendence of Sir 
Henry Cole, who worked for twenty years at the formation of the 
admirable and unique museum at South Kensington. 

The Queen, on opening Parliament in 1853, urged the importance 
of giving free scope to cultivation of the fine arts. In lbi4, £1295 
was spent in Paris on an artistic collection for the School oi De- 
sign, and £5000 was devoted to the purchase of the best produc- 
tions of the Exhibition of 1851. The Prince Consort also bought 
the ground on which the South Kensington Museum now stands. 

There are now 160 schools of art in England in connection with 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 87 

tliis Museum, not counting the multitude of private schools that 
have been opened for the study of the fine arts. Painting has at 
length won its rightful place; rich Englishmen all possess a picture- 
gallery, and a castle without one would do little honor to itB owner. 
Painters are highly thought of, and received in the best society; and 
the most celebrated artists live in luxurious, indeed princely, man- 
sions. 

Fashionable visits to the studios take place on Sunday; and there 
is even a special " Studio Sunday," a month before the opening of 
the Academy, when a pilgrimage is made to the studios of favorite 
artists. 

Among the most distinguished representatives of English art are 
Sir Frederick Leighton, President and Trustee of the Royal Aca- 
demy; John Everett Millais, Edward Poynter, G. F. Watts, Alma 
Tadema, Frank Holl, Edwin Long, Herkomer, Hunt, Fildes, 
Burne-Jone^, Boughton, Whistler, Pettie, Ouless, W. Crane, 
Cooper, etc. 

Sir Frederick Leighton is, as " Jehu Junior " says, " one of those 
delicate natures who have succeeded so well in driving out the sav- 
age from our human clay that nothing but the refined gentleman 
remains." He is a highly accomplished man, the first painter in 
England, an eminent sculptor, as the distinction he won at the Paris 
Salons proved. An admirable speaker, a great linguist, an exquisite 
musician, this gifted artist is also a remarkable tactician, and did 
honor to the artists' corps of volunteers, of which he was colonel. 
He is a member of the lnstitut de France. He is disinterested and 
unassuming, and for his fellow-artists he expresses nothing but 
praise and admiration. He speaks of Gainsborough with religious 
enthusiasm; and he once spoke to me of the regret with which he 
had seen in the Bohemian quarters of the Luxembourg in Paris 
painters of extraordinary talent, who were prevented by poverty 
from taking their proper place in the world. 

Sir Frederick, although rather gray, is in the prime of life. He 
has studied in all the schools of Europe, especially in Italy. When 
talking with him his courteous manners and his perfect accent make 
you think that he is a Parisian, and you fancy you have met him in 
the Rue de l'Ouest; but suddenly you say, " No, he is an Italian— a 
son of the Capitol; 1 remember having seen him lounging along the 
Coiso;" or you may have observed him in the Mosques, or at the 
Alhambra; for this great traveler has been to all the cradle-lands of 
art, as far as Persia and the country of the Moors. 1 must tell you 
about the palace he has built for himself in the Holland Park Road 



88 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 

—a temple of taste, which even Ruskin might praise. In the en- 
trance-hall every inch of walls and ceiling is adorned by some work 
of art, and the floor is inlaid with mosaics of subdued coloring. A 
large vestibule connects this hall with a sanctuary of art, where one 
gazes with delight on columns of iare marble, friezes of raised gold, 
window -frames of marvelous carved wood from the East, walls 
with precious stuccoes, a vaulted ceiling, from whose center hangs 
an enormous Eastern chandelier. A thousand other objects attract 
notice, and the artistic effects of light capriciously shed on the walls 
of varying blue are simply fairy-like. The walls of the rooms on 
the ground-floor are hung with pictures by Corot, Constable, and 
Daubigny; their contents are porcelain from Persia, vases from 
Rhodes, Japanese hangings, Turkey carpets, and many treasures of 
the East. 

A fine staircase, adorned with rare pictures, leads up to the first 
floor. Here is a delicious Arabian room; and passing by works of 
Delacroix, Watts, Tintoret, Sebastian, Del Piombo, etc., one 
reaches the great studio, where the gems of this museum are ac- 
cumulated. But there 1 must stop, and can only hope that you will 
one day inspect it for yourself, and enjoy the exquisite courtesy of 
its owner. 

One last word. A man maybe known by his books; and Sir 
Frederick Leigh ton has in his library the masterpieces of all lan- 
guages, from Aristotle, Pliny, and Terence, to Goethe and Victor 
Hugo. He has painted the great frescoes in South Kensington 
Museum, also many well-known pictuies and admirable mural 
decorations. His statues are life itself, and he is at this moment 
working at a very fine figure. 

Close by is the studio of Mr. Watts, the head of the English 
idealistic school, and very well known besides as a painter of por- 
traits, which really seem to live, speak, and move. 1 saw an excel- 
lent one of M. Thiers. Mr. Watts was a great friend and protege 
of Lord Holland. His first work that attracted notice is the one at 
Westminster, " Caractacus and his family taken prisoners to 
Rome." 

Whoever you are, you may knock at the door of Mr. Watts's 
house, and will be admitted with the simple formality of signing 
your name in the visitors' book. You enter a square hall contain- 
ing a hundred or so of pictures by Mr. Watts. If you desire to see 
him, you then go up to his studio, and two great pictures dawn 
upon your view, "Death and Love," and " Love leading Life." 



THE SOCIETY OF LOHDOH. 89 

Both of these form a good expression of his theories, his prefer- 
ences, and his genius. 

At the request of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, 
he sent fifty of his pictures there— quite a little exhibition in them- 
selves. 

1 will now take you to the princely abode of Mr. Millais, the mas- 
ter of the realistic school, and a famous genre painter. The im- 
mense hall, crowded with treasures, is marvelous. A gigantic stair- 
case leads to the landing-place of the first floor, where a seal in 
bronze coming out of a marble basin spouts water from its nostrils. 
The studio is vast, oblong, very high, well lighted and luxuiious, 
and always contains a few pictures and some life-like portraits. 

Mr. Millais was born at Jersey, and brought up at Dinau, where 
at five years of age he astonished the garrison by his military 
sketches. His style is his own; he has applied all his intellect to 
art, and frequently repeats that painting is nothing without thought. 
Struck by what he called the infidelity to nature in modern art, he 
formed with Hunt and Kosetti a pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, and 
they added to their signature on their pictures the letters "P. R. 
B." But he soon saw there was more affectation than truth in the 
new school, and abandoned his protest. The signature of the three 
letters only appears on three of his piclures. 

Millais is kind to young aitists. A painter, uncertain about him- 
self, went one day to see him, and asked if he would not do better 
to turn farmer. Millais put a sum of money into his hand, and re- 
plied, " Work!" A short time after the young man finished a pict- 
ure that was admired even by the severe critic Ruskin. 

Millais is as popular as his work is celebrated, and everybody 
knows " Chill October," "Sir "Walter Raleigh," and others that 
are masterpieces and true poems. He is an agreeable man, and 
welcomed in the highest society. 

Now we go to Regent's Park, and arrive at a house that 1 need 
' not name, foi it has been described so many times that you will 
recognize it at once. The owner of this very original dwelling is 
the kindly artist Alma Tadema, a simple, good-natured, communi- 
cative, unceremonious Dutchman. 

On the Italian fagade of the great square house is a frieze of por- 
celain, and the Latin word salve. On the left are two rooms; in 
the first a piano, some pictures, and a charming portrait of Mrs. 
Tadema; the second room opens into a conservatory adorned by a 
bust of the painter's charming wife, executed by Dalon. On the 
right a room, or rather a little museum, with a curious Japanese 



90 THE SOCIETY OE LONDOH. 

painting on silk, more than two yards long, Lansing on the wall; 
above it ten old escutcheons in carved wood, the arms ot tne Cor- 
poration of Tailors of Ley den: the window is formed of pretty Dutch 
panes. In the dining-room the large-patterned paper blends so har- 
moniously with the painted ceiling that the transition can scarcely 
be discovered. Above the chimney-piece is a full-length portrait of 
one of Alma Tadema's daughters. Beyond is a large and beautiful 
garden. 

Let us go upstairs. The walls of the staircase are covered with 
photographs of the artist's works. On the first floor we enter a lit- 
tle drawing-room all in gold, but of a dull harmonious lone. A 
mirror with a silver frame and several other objects stand out in re- 
lief from this well-designed background. The mantel-piece is 
adorned with a pretty bronze figure of Mrs. Tadema lying on a couch. 
The window is made of a multitude ot little divisions filled with 
semi-transparent panes of Mexican onyx. But the wonder ot this 
drawing-room is a piano that the artist himself has designed, It is 
a mixture of delicately blended colors and of exquisite and varied 
carving. On the sides there are bass-reliefs, and at the lower end 
of the piano a bead of Orpheus in silver. 

Open the instrument and a surprise awaits you ; it contains a treas- 
ure, tor it is lined on the inside witli vellum as white as ivory, and 
this is covered with autographs of all the most eminent artists in 
Europe. Alma Tadema is an excellent musician. 

We next enter an eastern boudoir, a kind of divan, with a parquet 
in black and white. At last we reach the studio, a large room en- 
tirely painted in the Pompeian style, with pillars, frescoes, etc., 
and containing the reproduction of the Library of Herculaneum. 
It is here that the master receives. 

Alma Tadema is a pupil of Leys, the great painter of Antwerp, 
and has lived in London for fifteen years. He was the first to color 
the nails of his studio, and dispelled the prejudice that they ought 
always to be of a uniform gray. He was at that time painting 
" The Education of the Children of Clotilde," and be used to try 
effects and practice upon the walls, which were soon covered with 
" Merovingian " costumes. 

His wife is also a distinguished artist; she is very charming, and 
laminds me of another artist, the wife ot Tinant, the sculptor, and 
mother of the young caricaturist, Robert Tinant, who died so young. 

Alma Tadema is leaving his present house for that formerly occu- 
pied by the French painter, Tissot. 

Alma Tadema has produced about two hundred and fifty pictures 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDOK. 91 

in oil or water-colors; and since his picture of the " Pyrrhean 
Dance," has taken a foremost place in London. 

One Hi tie anecdote about him. A young man went one day to 
his studio and asked him to give him lessons; he replied that he did 
not take pupils, and advised him to continue bis studies by travel, 
When the young man returned, be renewed his request. " Well," 
said the artist, " Ivvlli give you lessons in this way: you shall name 
the subject for a picture; I will paint it in your studio while you 
look on, and then you shall buy it." 

This was done, and the young man profited so well by the lessons 
that he was enabled to paint the charming portrait of Mrs. Tadema 
which 1 have already mentioned. The picture painted under these 
condiiions was " The Artist's Model," and was exhibited last year 
at the Paris Salon. 

A very curious person is Mr, Whistler, the American painter, but 
an agreeable man, He studied at Paris, where his first picture, 
" The Wbite Girl," will be remembered. He has painted in a 
house at Kensington an entire room, called the " Peacock " room 
— amarvelous piece of work. His drawing is much like that of 
Rembrandt, but he is reproached with never finishing his pictures; 
yet they are full of truth, and he only copies from nature. He is a 
correct draughtsman and has a true sense of color. 

Poynter has exercised great influence on decorative art, and effect- 
ed much good, especially as director of the Fine Arts at the Soutb 
Kensington Museum. 

I lerkomer, whose hair and beard look as if they were blown by 
the wind, is a Bavarian, thirty-six years of age, with a fine head, 
and great enthusiasm, He is a rapid worker, an excellent painter, 
and a very interesting man. Born in America, the son of poor 
parents, he came and established himself in London, and is now a 
naturalized Englishman. A painter, sculptor, and even a good 
blacksmith, he is clever at everything; does not smoke or drink, and 
has made a large fortune. He is a clever and kindly critic, and a 
gay, generous companion. 

Carl Haag, also a Bavarian, is at the head of painters in water- 
colors, a great favorite at the Court, and a conscientious artist, wbo, 
having traveled much in the East, can see nothing but the East, 
paint nothing but the East, and lias built himself an extremely curi- 
ous studio of Egyptian bric-dbrac. 

I should like to have spoken to you of Frank Holl, Hunt, Cooper, 
Beyle, whose fine " Apple Blossom " is so attractive, but 1 must re- 



92 THE SOCIETY OF LONDOST. 

frain, and must also neglect the sculptors, or this letter wili never 
end. 

Every one knows the woman washing a child, called here " The 
Din y Boy," and the two ragamuffins disputing over the sale of a 
newspaper to a passer-by, "1 am first, sir." These very popular 
works are by Focardi, the sculptor, who has executed many others 
and is very successful in London. 

One word also ot anotlier sculplor, Count Gleichen, a nephew of 
the Queen, whose real name is His Serene Highness Victor Ferdi- 
nand Franz Eugene Gustave Adolphe Constantin Frederic de 
Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He is a plain-dealing man, frank and 
open, very much liked; he began his career in the navy, and dropped 
his title ot admiral for that of sculptor. He served in the Crimea, 
and was wounded three times. He married the daughter of Admi- 
ral Seymour, and from that time abandoned the title of prince and 
uses the unassuming appellation ot Count Gleichen. He lives at 
Windsor Castle, of which he is Governor. He has executed works 
of great merit, and among others a bust of Mary Anderson, last year. 



EIGHTEENTH LETTER. 

THEATERS AND AMUSEMENTS. 

Forty years ago the drama scarcely existed in Londou, but 
French pieces have been translated, and the taste for the theater 
has gradually been developed. Dramatic authors have improved; 
a few possess very great talent. Formerly theaters were to be 
let everywhere, but now they are competed for. A theater is let in 
England exactly like a house, on lease by the year, the month, the 
week, or even for a single performance. The manager is sometimes 
an author, but more frequently an actor. 

The fraternity of adapters has given rise to that of imitators, who, 
for want of time and talent, copy and pilfer foreign pieces without 
scruple. 

There is no society with the power of imposing a uniform author's 
fee on theaters; the authors make their own arrangements with the 
managers, and the society that does exist only aims at obtaining the 
sums agreed upon. Every author fixes the price of his piece as he 
chooses. 

A good dramatic author can earn much money in England, but 
three quarters of them have other occupations. The national En- 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 93 

glish theater lives on its rather limited repertory. I will not speak 
ot the universal Shakespeare— the colossus who rules the world. 
The last century gave the theater the comedies ot Sheridan; more 
recently I here has been a great numbei of dramatic writers of in- 
disputable talent — Boucicault, Petitt, Conquest, Sims, Herman, 
John Taylor, etc. 

At the present time one of the most powerful dramatic authors is 
unquestionably Mr. Sims, who seems to have undertaken to revolu- 
tionize the English stage. He passes his life in studying the social 
strata of this new Babylon called London, and may be seen every 
morning in the very poorest quarters, mingling with vagrants, 
scamps, riffraff— the very dregs of society. Poverty, theft, uu 
blushing infamy, or cowering shame, nothing is unknown to him. 

Owing to tbe rich harvest that he gathers, his dramas give us 
heart-rending realistic scenes, where he mingles the evil of the upper 
classes and the evil of the mob in order to compare and stigmatize 
them all, and depicts generous self-sacrifice and greatness of soul 
contrasted with the poorest surroundings. He puts aside the con- 
ventionality of the drama, and cares only for what is real. 

Mr. Sims will certainly win a place in London similar to that 
occupied in France by Dumas and Sardou, and although the last 
comer, he is the favorite and most fashionable. 

English comedies, not having the resource of guilty love, are apt 
to be insipid. The dramas are, however, fine when they deal frank- 
ly with the national virtues and vices. Money, which plays so 
great a part in England, becomes the motive of adventurers of every 
kind— usurers, swindlers, thieves, burglars, etc. — and the scenes are 
rapid and amusing. 

The English have not yet a dramatic literature of their own. 
When they can venture to exhibit English society as it really is, 
they will find an inexhaustible supply of excellent pieces in real life. 

In consequence of ihe exorbitant demands of singers, the Italian 
opera is for the moment not to be heard in London. There have 
been several attempts at a French theater. M. Mayer has revived 
the short French seasons, and this year has had a winter sea3on. 
His success must be attributed to his choice ot artists: Jane Hading, 
who made all London iun after her; Jane May, who was much ad- 
mired; the graceful, lively, fascinating Rose Lion, who played in 
every piece; and Mademoiselle Gerfaut, who became known in the 
" Pattes de Mouches," and at once took the first rank with these 
other three. The men-Shey, Didier, Colombey— are worthy of 
the best days ot the French stage, 



94 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 

The most talented actors are Irving, Wilson Barrett, Madame 
Modjeska, Mrs. Kendal, and Ellen Terry. Nothing is more com- 
ical in London than the comic actors, and nothing worse than those 
who play the lover. Lionel Brough, Anson, PauUon, Roberts, ami 
Toole would make the fortune oi the Paiis Palais Royal. 

The chorus singers are geneially pretty, and there is au increasing 
number of young, fascinating, and clever .11 tistes, such as Florence 
St John, Kale Munroe. Violet Canieion, Nellie Power, Miss F r 
Useue, and Lillian Russell. 

The pieces are put upon the stage with lavish decoration and v\iih 
charming effects of light. 

In short, like music and painting, the dramatic art is developing 
rapidly, and makes fresh strides every day. There is no national 
school of dramatic art in London, so that much talent is lost for 
lack of training, and many persons act who have not the least idea 
of their art; but progress is evident, although it is made at random 
Most of the theaters have done away with the necessity of bnyi g 
a programme, and of leaving your gieat-coat in the cloak 100m. 
When you have paid for your ticket you need not pay for anything 
else. Gratuities are forbidden, programmes are presented, the mis- 
ery of narrow benches and of greedy box-keepers is unknown; the 
cloakroom is tree, and the manager posts up everywhere "Ki» 



NINETEENTH LETTER. 

MUSIC. 

Nowhere is so much music heard as in London— from the music 
in the streets to great concerts that are not confined to the uumerous 
halls built on purpose for them, but invade the drawing-rooms of 
great houses, where a guinea is charged for the privilege of admis- 
sion. English ears seem never tired; and besides all this, schools 
and town-halls are used for concerts, 

London has no Conservatoire, though there are, it is true, a num- 
ber of Schools of Music— the Royal College, the Royal Academy, 
the Guildhall School, and others; but these are all either private 
undertakings or societies; the lessons are very expensive, and the 
teaching leaves much to b? desired. For example, the Sol-fa and 
Theory of Music are not obligatory, and a scholar may receiy; 
honors and distinctions who can not read a line of music a! si-hi, 
or beat the time of a single bar, 



THE SOCIETY OP LONDOH. 95 

The winners of prizes and medals at these schools would not be 
allowed to compete for a prize in a Conservatoire on the Continent. 
If they wanted to do so they would have to begin their studies over 
again. 

The Royal College still wants a hundred thousand pounds, and 
is begging for money on all sides. But for all that concerns these 
institutions, and English music in general, 1 refer you to a very fair, 
well-written book, which is none the worse lor being also amusing — 
" La Musique au Pays des Brouillards." 

The Guildhall School of Music is supported by the Corporation 
of the City. The school has from two to three thousand pupils, to 
whom a very small amount of teaching is allotted. The length of 
the lessons will give you an idea of this — twenty minutes a week! 

There are plenty of private professors, but jrood ones are very 
scarce. The Grammar of Music is unknown in London, and no 
pupil would submit to being forced to learn it. The Sol-fa is here 
called Harmony. It you ask a young lady to beat the time of a 
piece she tells you that she is not going to be the leader of an or- 
chestra. Singing is even more badly taught; the Sol-fa is not con- 
sidered to have anything to do with it, and, except by a few foreign 
protessois, vocalization is not taught. It is not even necessary to 
ask whether you have a voice; you want to sing, and you sing, 
never mind how. You need not even give yourself the trouble of 
bringing out your voice, or ot cultivating it. 

Among professional musicians there are many of great talent — 
Mackenzie, Dr. Stanford, etc.— who have succeeded Balfe and 
Sterndale Bennett; there are also classical composers like Macfarren 
and Cowan. The latter, whom the German masters are proud to 
call their pupil, ha3 written some remarkable symphonies, oratorios, 
and even an opera, which place him in the first rank of modern com- 
posers; indeed his Scandinavian Symphony is a chef d'muwe that 
will remain a standard work. There are also composers of light 
music: Sullivan, who writes' very pretty romances, gay little operet- 
tas, and now and then serious music; Strada, a delightful composer, 
who will soon be the most fashionable musician, and will, 1 think, 
shine at the the theaters of Paris. His " Boutade," so popular in 
England, is the mosi original and charming piece that has ever been 
written for that unaccommodating instrument — the piano. There 
is also Ivan Caryl 1, who, while waiting to be recalled to Paris, is 
making a position as a writer of operettas in London. I pass by 
many others, and perhaps the best, for the list might be a long 
one. The favorite musicians are mostly Germans, who, indeed, are 



96 THE SOCIETY OF LOHDOiir. 

put at the head of every institution here, and who come from every 
quarter of Germany. 

The invasion began with Sir Julius Benedict, a pupil of Weber, 
and leader oi the orchestra at the Opera at Vienna, and afterward 
of Saint Carlo. 

He came to London at thirty years of age, and has composed an 
opera and various pieces. He was knighted by the Queen, and, at 
the age of seventy-eight, married for the second lime. Benedict is 
at the head of the musical world in England, and has always been 
popular iu society.* 



TWENTIETH LETTER. 

THE CITY AND THE LORD MAYOR. 

You know that a part of London near the center and entirely de- 
voted to national and international business is called the City; an 
enormous mart, where, in thousands of agency offices, occupied 
from cellar to the root by business, all the commerce of England is 
centered. There the most colossal enterprises are planned and pro- 
jected. This separate little corner, unique in the world, is still 
ruled by institutions of the Middle Ages, and exhibits a curious 
combination of progress and feudality, which makes it resemble a 
car dragged in opposite directions by two teams of horses. 

The City is under the jurisdiction of the Lord Mayor— a magis- 
trate chosen for a year from among the richest merchants who have 
reached the rank of Alderman and Sheriff. Outside the City the 
Lord Mayor is nobody. His palace — the Mansion House, opposite 
the Exchange and the Bank— has Guildhall for a branch establish- 
ment, a temple of justice, exclusively reserved for the culprits of 
the City. 

I do not intend to describe the City in its commercial aspect, but 
only to depict what is supposed to be its society. 1 therefore leave 
men of business, who, indeed, do not exist after their hours of 
work, but shaking off the dust of their offices, belong to another 
world. All these merchants love their old City, and from time im- 
memorial have formed a real court round their sovereign the Lord 
Mayor. 

The organization of the City is as follows: about one fifth of the 
men of business who have their offices there have to elect a Munici- 

* Since this writing Sir Julius Benedict has died. 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDOH. 97 

pal Council ot 206 members, generally chosen from the leading 
merchants. This Council includes twenty-six aldermen, each at 
the head of one ot the twenty-six quarters of the City; then come 
the Sheriffs, and finally the Lord Mayor, elected from the two 
aldermen who have been chosen Dy the Liveiymeu. or members of 
the corporations. 

It is then that the masquerade of the 9th of November takes 
place, when the Lord Mayor goes to be installed in his office— for- 
merly at Westminster, and now at the New Law Courts— accom- 
panied by a procession, that has preserved its medieval character. 

The Common Council is absolute master, and suffers no control; 
the Government has nothing to do with it. The Lord Mayor is 
absolute in his City; the Queen could not cross it without his per- 
mission, and the Guards would not dare to enter without his au- 
thority. 

Besides this official organization, the heads of each trade have 
united and formed corporations, that, from donations, bequests, 
etc., are richer than many of our municipalities. These corpora- 
tions possess land that in the course of centuries has acquired enor- 
mous value. The fortune accumulated in their hands is employed 
in founding schools, colleges, asylums, hospitals; building markets, 
giving scholarships, and even, as you see, in an Academy of Music, 
all within sound ot Bow Bells— that is to say, within the boundaries 
of this little kingdom of shop-keepers. The wealth of the corpora- 
tions is so gigantic thai, some of their superfluous funds are dis- 
tributed to other charities, or to poor institutions; but the establish- 
ment thus created, and the charities they dispose ot, are always for 
the benefit of their own members who have fallen into poverty, or 
who need assistance. 

The corporations are divided as follows: the Court, which ad- 
ministers the tunds, and the Livery (this word indicates that the 
latter have the right to wear the costume ot the corporation). The 
members of the Court are elected from among the Liverymen. 
When a place is vacated by death, the choice ought to fall in order 
of seniority on persons who belong to the trade of the corporation; 
but this is not done, and young members who do not belong to the 
business are often chosen, provided they are rich and influential. 
The corporations were supposed to admit only persons of their own 
profession, but the sons ot former merchants were afterward ac- 
cepted; thus persons who had nothing to do with business could 
obtain this right, either by election, or for the modes! sum of £100. 
Much value is set on belonging to one of these associations, and the 
4 



98 THE SOCIETY OE LONDOtf. 

Prince of Wales himself is a member of the Corporation of Tailors. 
These corporations used to be called Guilds, whence the place 
where they meet receives the name of " Guildhall." Some of them, 
such as the Crossbowmen, Ropemakers, etc., are now only tra- 
ditional, their trades having disappeared; but they still exist as cor- 
porations. 

Besides their philanthropic institutions and other good works, 
these societies manifest their existence ty the dinners tbey give, 
and should the Municipal Government be changed there is at least 
this consolation for them, the dinners may continue. Great wealth 
is displayed at these magnificent repasts. 

Conscious of the accomplishment of a great duty, the merchants 
of the City of London dine with the solemnity of priests performing 
theii sacred functions. 

Another souvenir of feudal times are the Inns of Court, of which 
there are four: the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple, which 
used to belong to the Knights Templars; Lincoln's Inn, which was 
the property of the Black Friars; and Gray's Inn, the primitive xesi- 
dence of Lord Gray, Once inns in reality, as students destined to 
the Law were formerly obliged to live there for three years, as stu- 
dents at Oxford and Cambridge still have to do, residence gradually 
became optional, and now students no longer Jive there at all, and 
the buildings are converted into lawyers' offices. But the students 
are still obliged to dine six times in a term in one of the special halls, 
where the table on the left is reserved for them, while the table on 
the right belongs to the barristers, who are not obliged to attend. 
Every one admitted to these fraternal feasts has to wear his wig 
and gown; even the waiters are still dressed up in their last-century 
costumes. The aim of these dinneis, it appears, or rather the tra- 
ditional intention of them, is to make sure of the presence of the 
students in London. These Inns resemble veritable monasteiies, 
with their refectory, library, gardens, lodge-porters, and gates that 
are closed at ten o'clock. 

Ihe Inns of Chancery are old colleges which have become 
societies of solicitors, who also only meet in order to dine. 

The Freemasons also have their temples in the City, but they are 
only restaurants, and the monthly meetings take place round a 
dinner-table. Charity is the only mission of Freemasons in Lon- 
don, and they rival the City corporations in lavish generosity. Dur- 
ing the last eleven years they have given £350,000 to three Masonic 
Institutions. 

Any pretext for giving a dinner is welcome to the Lord Mayor. 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDON". 99 

First there is a certain number of official banquets, like that of the 
9th of November, his coronation day; then dinners given to the 
winners of the Oxford and Cambridge boat-race, to various societies, 
to extraordinary .embassadors, to noble foreigners, to members of 
Congress, etc. At these banquets an infinite number of speeches 
are made, the "English excelling, as you know, in this kind of after- 
dinner eloquence. Ladies are admitted to most of the dinners at the 
Mansion House, even though they are forbidden other gastronomic 
exhibitions. 

1 have not exhausted all the gayeties of the city by a long wuy, a 
biography of all the Lord Mayors would be one of the most delight- 
ful books in the world. But, however unwillingly, 1 must end 
this letter, to which 1 might have given the title of " Dinners." 



TWENTY FIRST LETTER. 

THE MIDDLE CLASS. 

1 have little to tell you about the middle class, except that it apes 
the aristocracy, but has fewer vices and more prejudices. 

" God and my right!" This is the motto of the Englishman, to 
whatever class he may belong, and my right comes first, and God 
afterward! A nation that defines itself by a coarse expression of 
care for personal interest, and for nothing else, how can it be any- 
thing but selfish? An Englishman will never inconvenience him- 
self in order not to inconvenience his neighbor. Many of them com- 
plain of this, but foreigners are the greatest sufferers from it. Yet 
it is wrong to say that the English are coaise and rude. Ill-educated 
Englishmen are so, and such may be found in the highest aristoc- 
racy. Well- educated Englishmen are coldly and punctiliously 
polite in an undemonstrative, calm way. This politeness exists even 
in the lowest classes, and there are many workmen with better man 
ners than some lords. The worst impression of Englishmen is given 
by their utter indifference to one another, and to every one whom 
they do not know. 

Prejudices are especially long-lived in England. One of these 
prejudices of English people is their love of dress. They must be 
en toilette; they dress when they get up, aud know nothing of the 
delights of a .dressing-gown and slippers. In the evening, at an 
hour when we resume those cherished garments, consecrated to ease 
and intimacy, they dress themselves up as if for parade or a village 
procession, 



100 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

This would be all very well when receiving guests; but no, Mon- 
sieur has no one with him but Madame, 01 perhaps he is dining ab- 
solutely alone, and yet he will put on evening-dress before sitting 
down to table. You will not believe me, but 1 swear that 1 have 
seen it. 

It is undeniable tnat the English are cold people; yet they are very 
fond of pleasure, and spend money on it recklessly; but they take 
it in such an undemonstrative way that it seems extremely comical 
to us to hear them utter the customary phrase, " 1 enjoyed myself 
immensely." 

.Besides the defective national education, there is very great igno- 
rance, not of what is to be learned from books, for therein they are 
better informed than we are, but ignoiance of the ordinary affairs 
of life, of the things learned no one knows how. It is the educa- 
tion that comes from things around us, from the outer world, from 
travel, and from general ideas that gives the polish to conversation 
among Russians, French, and Austrians, which, without any pro- 
fundity, enables them to shine in society. 

As 1 have mentioned education, 1 will say one word more about 
it. Among the aristocracy young girls are taught by a resident 
governess and various professors, and sports, especially riding, are 
regarded as important studies. Schools are chiefly used by the mid- 
dle class, and there are some very good ones; but the majority are 
cramped by routine. When a lady engages a governess, she requires 
from a poor young girl everything that a human being could learn 
in a long life-lime — Latin, foreign languages, arts and sciences, every 
accomplishment; and her requirements are as great as the salary she 
offers is small. The Phenix that a middle-class family requires is 
probably offeied £25 a year. 

\oung men have excellent schools, and complete their education 
at the celebrated Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Edin- 
burgh. But even there sports are considered as important as study; 
and to be first at foot-ball, cricket, or* boat-race, is quite as credita- 
ble as to win a scholarship or to take a degree. 

In sports the English are the masters of the world. Facts are 
more agreeable to their minds than thoughts, and their numerous 
talents are rather solid than brilliant. But they have one good 
quality, the opposite to our national defect— they never speak witn- 
out thinking. The national character can be best sudied in the mid- 
dle class, for '.here extremes, either of vice or virtue, do not exist. 
England is, in short, a fine, great, and generous nation, exceedingly 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 101 

hospitable, and the populai prejudice against her in Russia and in 
France is profoundly unjust 

Although formality reigns everywhere, there are some pleasant 
salons, and the middle class, which occupies a great position in 
London, offers much amusement to foreigners, and makes them very 
welcome, provided they are people of culture. 

More money is spent on visitors here than anywhere else; there 
are more receptions given than in Russia or in France, and many 
people keep open house to their friends. Wealthy families receive 
every week, or at least every month, and crowd to all places of 
amusement. 

The English middle class does not possess estates, but each family 
rents a house in the country for the season, or goes to the sea-side. 
No one passes the whole year in London; the first sunshiny day 
produces a longing for " a little change," and an entire family packs 
up its trunks and departs. All the watering-places are not equally 
fashionable. Brighton attracts the fashionable world from October 
to December; in the winter people go to Eastbourne, Ventnor, 
Torquay, Bournemouth, and in the autumn to Hastings, Folkestone, 
or Scarborough. Margate aad Ramsgate are much less elegant, and 
Southend, though it is a delighiful little place, is only visited by 
people of slender means. 



TWENTY-SECOND LETTER. 

SOCIETY. 

In a city like London— the richest in the world, and where the 

conditions of fortune do not always accord with position and birth 

society is a very vague expression. The English themselves divide 
it into two parts, nobility and gentry, but between these two terms 
it is very difficult to decide the exact limits. 

England has several kinds of nobility: the grand old nobility of 
land and of the sword; then the aristocracy of money. In a country 
where every man is the maker of his own fortune it is natural that 
there should be a great many titled parvenus. Then come the small 
fry— the modern lords, the new baronets, and knights. 

The " gentry " necessarily includes members of the fashionable 
world who have no titles, and the upper middle class, great finan- 
ciers, men who have made large fortunes; for if money does not 
make happiness it at least procures a very comfortable place in the 
world. 



102 THE SOCIETY OF LONDOtf. 

The great number of people possessing large fortunes has caused 
divisions and distinctions that are extremely amusing. It is per- 
fectly natural that a man possessing a hundred to a hundred and 
fifty thousand pounds a year could not receive a poor fellow who 
had not more than a thousand a year—quite a beggarly sum in Lon- 
don. There would be too much difference in the entertainments 
given and received. The upper middle class delights in luxury and 
elegance, and only differs from the aristocracy by lack of title; the 
lower middle class is composed of men with modest incomes (from 
two to four thousand a year), of City merchants, lawyers, doctors, 
etc. 

Below the upper and lower middle class there is a succession of 
divisions and subdivisions urtil you reach lodging-houses, furnished 
apartments, and shop parlors. It is a curious thing that there is 
much similarity in all these classes with regard to entertainments, 
with more or less etiquette as the rank of the host requires, and, as 
usual, the lower you go the more amusement is to be found. 

These are the customs of society as regards parties: The invita- 
tions are given on a printed card with nothing but " Mrs. X. at 
home " on such a day. If it is a ball, there is the word " dancing " 
in the corner; if a musical evening, "music," and sometimes 
" theatricals;" for society in England has a mania tor drawing-room 
performances, without much regard to the talent of the performeis. 

The card also often bears the information that Mrs. X. is "at 
home " every Tuesday, or every Sunday (Sundays are getting very 
fashionable), or the first Monday in every month, etc., and that 
means that except on this paiticular day she does not want to see 
you. Every lady has her weekly or monthly "day," when her 
friends appear for a few minutes, drink a cup of tea, revile their 
neighbors, complain of their servants, and criticise the toilets of their 
dearest friends. 

The great defect of English society is the want of sociability; 
aftei six o'clock in the evening no one ventures to knock at his 
neighbor's door, unless he has been specially invited. The charm 
of intimacy is lost in this isolation and in the crush of overcrowded 
parties. In the summer any one who possesses a garden is delight- 
ed to turn the " at home " into a " garden-party." Invitations are 
given for the afternoon, just the same as for the evening, but there is 
very seldom any dancing at the receptions that are held between 
four and seven o'clock. 

In each house you find two large rooms, one devoted to the in- 
evitable music, and the other to refreshments; this 100m is literally 



THE SOCIETY OF LOKDON". 103 

besieged. Tea, coffee, lemonade, claret-cup, sherry, port, fruit of 
all kinds, cakes, sandwiches, ices, and sometimes champagne— every- 
thing is to be found there! 

In the drawing-room, so soon as an audience is assembled, one 
piece of music follows the other without leaving you time to make a 
single observation, or to answer a single question. It is a cueli-cuelo 
of amateurs who set your teeth on edge, and of professionals of all 
kinds. Singers are generally listened to, however dreadful they 
may be, and you can not imagine how dreadful they are unless you 
have heard young girls who think they can sing after a dozen les- 
ions, aud men who sing without any lessons at all, people who never 
go out without their music, even to make a call, without style, 
without voice, without time, and without mercy, sighing forth ro- 
mances in a perfectly unintelligible language. An Italian said to 
me the other day, " In our country, if an animal were to make a 
noise like that, we should wring its neck." 

As for the piano, it is understood to be a machine to set people 
talking, and as soon as the first notes are heard, conveisation begins 
on all sides, and is only checked by the last chord. 1 heard a lady 
say to another after an artist had played very brilliantly, " She made 
such a noise we couldn't hear ourselves speak." 

Evening parties never begin before ten o'clock t and in the higher 
circles they are soon over; every one has gone before twelve 
o'clock, unless it is a ball. These receptions often follow a dinner, 
and form a pleasant conclusion to it. 

In the middle class, especially in its lower circles, parties are kept 
up very late, and the horrible music goes on forever. Between eleven 
and twelve the lady of the house makes a quiet little sign to the 
gentlemen, and understanding what that means, each one offers his 
arm to a lady, and takes her to the supper-room, where a magnifi- 
cent repast awaits them— meat, poultry, salmon, tongue, sandwiches, 
creams, cakes, fruit, etc. 

The soiree continues after the supper, and very often ends with a 
dance, when tired or useless people depart. 

At garden-parties the scene is very much the same, only it takes 
place in a garden, and there are often games — croquet, lawn-tennis, 
etc.; but the music— the frightful music— that is never excluded! 
A rival to music has lately appeared and become terribly popular, 
it is recitation. The infatuation is the more unfortunate as the re- 
citers have not the slightest idea of articulation or of elocution, 
make the most extraordinary gesticulations, utterly inappropriate 



104 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

to their subject, and always choose long pieces, either very silly or 
horribly dramatic. 

1 have not wished to drag you through the maze of all the clubs, 
but 1 must say one word about the New Club, where the fashion- 
able world assembles, including ladies, the only society club that 
has ever succeeded. The New Club, founded 1 wo years ago, has 
now 600 members; music is given every evening— real music. 
There is daocing two or three times a week, and charming little 
oyster suppers are given after the play. Dramatic representations 
by the first actors also take place on Saturday at midnight; Saiah 
Bernhardt, Judic, and most of the French actors who came to Lon- 
don, often took part in these. 

The Bachelors' Club, where ladies are admitted to dine, is very 
inferior to the New Club. 



TWENTY -THIRD LETTER. 

COUNTRY-HOUSES. 

The origin of many aristocratic families is by no means glorious; 
the descendants of the old aristocracy of the sword are now rare. 
Many whose titles date from the reign of Queen Anne and the time 
of the Georges were only the sons of courtesans or of people of the 
lowest class, and have been raised more by the changes of time than 
by their own desert. 

Sir Philip Francis, as Lord Malmesbury tells us, undertook to 
destroy every line of succession, by proving clearly that not a single 
English nobleman was the descendant of his ancestors; and no 
doubt, if too closely examined, many genealogies would fall to pieces 
like a house of cards. 

The aristocracy of finance replaced the aristocracy of the sword; 
titles are more fairly obtained in our days, and the private life of 
the nobility is purer. 

Among noble politicians are Lord Rosebery and Lord Stanhope; 
the latter is a Conservative, and enjoys universal esteem. Then 
come the circles of Sir Arthur Hayter, a Liberal, of Lord Harting- 
ton, and of the Duke of Sutherland— though the Duke is more in- 
terested in social questions than in politics. The financial circles 
are those of the Rothschilds, of Mrs. Oppenheim, Mrs. Bischoffsheim, 
etc. Among other fashionable salons 1 must mention those of the 
Duke of Westminster, the Maichioness of Santurce, Sir Allen 
Young, of Mr. Harford, and Sir Algernon Borthwick, the propri- 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 105 

etor of the " Morning Post," who is so well known in Paris. A8 
for musical circles, like that of the charming Lady Folkestone, it 
would take more than a life-time to count them. 

There are also some leaders of society who lend their houses for 
meetings, and devote themselves to some special work, like the 
Duchess of Sutherland, whom 1 have already named, the patroness 
of teetotalers and the Blue Ribbon Army. Then come vegetarians, 
spiritualists, anti-vaccinationists, anti-vivisectionists, cremationists, 
theosopbic circles, like that of Mr. Sinnett, aesthetic ones, like that 
of Mr. Oscar Wilde, and those more practical and more charitable 
ones devoted to the protection and emancipation of women. Vis- 
countess Harberton, Lady JBrassey, Mrs. Fawcett, and Mrs. Stuart 
Mill, are at the head of this movement, while the Princess of Wales, 
Miss Florence Nightingale, Viscountess Strangford, preside over 
the meetings of the Red Cross Society, which take place at Lans- 
downe House, the residence of Lord and Lady Rosebery. 

It is in his country- house that the English aristocrat displays lux- 
ury unrivaled in all Europe. 1 should like to give you a full de- 
scription of life in these great country-houses, but it would take a 
volume to do justice to the theme. 

Every great English house has its legend, and 1 am sorry that I 
can only mention the names of the most remarkable among them. 
The vast and sumptuous domain of Trentham is the residence of 
the Duke of Sutherland; Lord Bath occupies Longleat, the 
finest example of the Elizabethan style; Lord Hardwick pos- 
sesses Wimpole; the Duke of Westminster, Eaton Hall, the most 
modern of houses, and utterly tasteless, although it possesses 
everything that comfort and luxury can devise. Blenheim be- 
longs to the Duke of Marlborough, The three finest seats in York- 
shire, and built about the same time, are: Castle Howard, the seat 
of the Earl of Carlisle ; Duncan Park, recently burned, the seat of 
Lord Faversham ; and Harewood, that of Lord Harewood. 

The loveliest park of all these lordly domains is Normanton, the 
property of Lord Aveland. Warwick Castle, seated on a rock, and 
believed to have been built by the famous Warwick, the King- 
maker, belongs to Lord Warwick, and is unrivaled in its beauty, 
except, perhaps, by Windsor Castle. It has towers 147 leet high, 
state apartments more than 300 feet long, and the celebrated War- 
wick vase of white marble, found at Tivoli, that will hold 163 
gallons. 

Goodwood, well known for its celebrated races, belongs to the 
Duke of Richmond; Chatsworth to the Duke of Devonshire, the 



106 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

father of Lord Rartington. Witley Court is the residence of Lord 
Dudley; Badminton, of the Duke of Beaufort; Lowther, of Lord 
Lonsdale; Arundel Castle, of tbe Duke of Norfolk; and Aluwick, 
of the Duke of Northumberland. 

Very curious feles are sometimes given at these country-houses. 
Thus at Southam-de-la-Bere, the late seat of Lord Ellenborough, an 
ancient custom was revived in tbe month of Februar}'". Miss Sergi- 
son, as Queen Elizabeth, received her guests in state, surrounded by 
courtiers, banners and heralds. A lord of misrule was crowned with 
pomp, and led the revels; there was a masquerade and dancing- 
St. George and the Dragon, the Princess Rowena and the wassail, 
bowl, Druids and mistletoe, wooden horses, and at ournament pre- 
sided over by the queen, a yule-log, and Ihe procession of the boar's 
head at the beginning and at the end of the entertainment. 

]n the month of August last Lady Archibald Campbell g >ve, at 
Coombe House, Kingston, a dramatic representation that had to be 
repeated three times, and which all London rushed to see. Behind 
her gardens are woods that she transformed into a natural stage, and 
acted in the open air Shakespeare's " As You Like It," four acts of 
which take place in a forest. Light hangings fastened to the brauches 
of the trees protected the audience from the burning rays of the 
sun; mosses and ferns replaced tbe footlights, side scenes and back- 
ground were all natural, and had long vistas that the nature of the 
spot admiiably lent itself to. The entrances and exits, the gradual 
retreat of the actors among the trees, the sound of voices, dying 
away in the distance, the strange effect of the choruses in the forest, 
the rays of soft light breaking through the somber foJiage, the gen- 
tle sounds of the country, the cries of birds, the rustling of the 
leaves, stirred by alight breeze, the perfume of this living, animate* 
nature, all combined to make a fairy scene. 

Lady Archibald played Orlando, and a few amateurs took part, 
but the principal characters were intrusted to well-known actors. 

When there is no f^te going on at a country-house the day passes 
somewhat in this fashion. From 9.30 to 10.30 people come down 
to breakfast, and as soon as the mistress of the house appears no one 
else is waited for. After breakfast the party separates, and each 
person occupies himself as he likes best until two o'clock. The 
ladies write letters, or collect in the drawing-room with their needle- 
work; the gentlemen walk about and amuse themselves as best they 
can. At two o'clock luncheon is served, at three the carriages ap- 
pear — wagonettes, landaus, victorias, saddle-horses, etc., etc. Each 
one chooses the mode of locomotion that suits him best, and off they 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 107 

go. At five o'clock every one is back again for tea, over which they 
gossip till 6.30; then they dress for the seven o'clock dinner, and 
the evening is devoted to music, whist, conversation, and work: 
nothing can be more simple. 



TWENTY -FOURTH LETTER 

THE DIPLOMATIC BODY. 

Duking the last thirty years great changes have taken place in the 
Diplomatic Service. Embassadors are now little more than em- 
ployes, except in the case of Russia; she still has diplomats, and 
uses them. Jn London the foieign embassadors are changed so often 
that they have not time to make their way in society, and society 
has not time to know them. Those who give large parties succeed 
in making a position for themselves, but except M. Van de Weyer, 
Count Karolyi, and M. de Staal, few embassadors have become 
intimate with the members of the English aristocracy. 

M. and Mme. de Falbe, of the Danish Embassy, are friends of the 
Princess of Wales on account of their nationality. M. Waddington 
has not succeeded in society, and the French- embassadors are so 
often changed that they only enjoy a momentary popularity, even 
when they obtain so much. Count Herbert Bismarck and Count 
Pourlales have an important place in society. The embassadors 
live in a world of their own, an official world. The senior embas- 
sador in London, who therefore has the right of precedence, is 
Musurus Pasha, seventy-seven years of age, and since 1851 the rep- 
resentative oi the Ottoman Porte. Born in Candia, he was governor 
of Samos, and bad a sufficiently stormy youth. His skill and energy 
won him the post of embassador at Vienna, and afterward at Lon- 
don. He came here during the Crimean War, and managed so 
well that he was made embassador in 1856 was decorated at the 
conclusion of the negotiations at Paris, and received the title of 
Pasha on the occasion of the Sultan's visit to London. The oppo- 
sition of the Porte to the conclusion of the Protocol of the Powers, 
drawn up in 1877 at the Conference at Constantinople, is attributed 
to his influence. He is a man who sleeps with one eye open, and 
that eye is always turned to the Black Sea. Very active, in spite 
of his languid manners, he is the most important embassador in 
London with regard to the interests of England in the East. 

After him must come Count Munster, the embassador who iepre- 



108 THE SOCIETY OE LONDON". 

sents Germany, but is more English than German, for he was born 
in London, and his children are also English born. He may be 
seen twice a day driving in Rotten Row; he has very good horses 
and a four-in-hand, and takes more interest in sport than in diplo- 
macy. Brought up in English habits, he has never lost them, al- 
though he was educated at Bonn. 

The next in order is Count Karolyi, but as Embassador of Austria 
he has rattier an insignificant part to play. The Countess is a re- 
markable woman and universally respected. She is of the true 
Hungarian type, with grand manners and the carriage of an 
empress. 

Count Nigra, known to all Paris as the " Chevalier Nigra," has 
recently come to London. Serving as a volunteer, he was wounded 
at the battle of Rivoli, and as a secretary of Cavour's he has been 
intrusted with so many different missions that he may be looked 
upon as a diplomatist of the old school. 1 know him veiy well, and 
have seen him more than once in Russia, where he was sent imme- 
diately after he left Paris in 1876. Wherever he goes he does good 
to Italy, and his embassy to France was very advantageous to his 
own country. Clever, patient, and attracti ve, he has a clear, reso- 
lute mind, has the right idea at the right moment, and foresees 
events with the greatest accuracy. 

In London Count Nigra is much liked, and is esteemed as a 
writer, an orator, and a savant. His works on the dialects of popu- 
lar Italian poetry are much valued. The action of his Government 
on the Red Sea will give Count Nigra an important part to play in 
London. 

1 need not sketch the portrait of M. Waddington, the French 
Embassador in London. Having an English father, having been 
educated in England, and being a Protestant, this accomplished 
diplomatist of fitty-seven years of age could not fail to be persona 
grata to the English public. 

Count Pourtales, with his bright, intelligent little face, "little 
Pourtales," as the ladies call him, is the member of the French 
Embassy who is most popular in society. 

M. de Staal, the Russian Embassador, is a person of charming 
manners and the most perfect courtesy; in choosing; him M. de Giers 
knew what he was about. Very well informed, accustomed to 
society, with a great experience of business, at once master of him- 
self and possessing much influence with others, a graduate of the 
University of Moscow, he was secretary to several embassies, in 
1869 was named Chamberlain of the Court, and subsequently was 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDOtf. 109 

minister at "Wurternburg. He only arrived in London a few months 
ago, but conquered society at once. M. de Staal has the most ex- 
quisite politeness and imperturbable urbanity. He excels in the art 
ot persuading, and is just the fascinating person required at this 
difficult moment to appease the irritation that has arisen between 
the two countries, to make himself agreeable to the English people, 
please society, &nd perhaps prevent war. De Staal is an exquisite 
talker, and no one listens so well or has such a graceful manner of 
appearing to share your opinions. 

Except Prince Malcolm Khan, the other diplomatists are Ministers 
or cliarges-cV affaires, with comparatively little importance in the 
politics of to day; but the Persian Minister is interested in the burn- 
ing questions of the moment, and has frequent interviews with 
Lord Granville. The Prince is a clever diplomatist, deliberate and 
prudent; he listens before he speaks, and he speaks with great judg- 
ment and good ?ense. 

Although his country has not hitherto been concerned in the 
politics of Europe, Prince Malcolm Khan has held an important 
position in England, since the visit of the Shah. He is, indeed, a 
faithful representative of his sovereign, and has rendered great serv- 
ices to his country. Persia may soon have to play a part in the con- 
flict in Afghanistan, and its embassy in London may acquire con- 
siderable importance. Malcolm Khan is such a far-seeing diplomatist 
that, without knowing him personally, 1 consider him one of the 
real politicians of Persia, who prefer an alliance with Kussia to a 
rupture, and who understand that the weak always obtain more 
from a friend than from an enemy. In society the Prince displays 
the most agreeable manners, and has all the dignity of his rank 
without any haughtiness. His wife is the personification of grace, 
and their house is most hospitable. The Princess is young, love- 
ly, enthusiastic, and brilliant. 

Her daughter, a brunette, a charming contrast to the pale beauties 
of the North, is a true little princess. She is well educated, and 
gifted with exquisite tact, delicacy, and good taste. 

1 will not speak of the Belgian Minister, whose task is easy so 
long as Antwerp is not menaced; of the Dutch Minister, or of Mr. 
Russell Lowell, a charming, humorous American, more of an author 
than an embassador. There are others, also, who would not in- 
terest you. 

In English politics, money, the universal factor, plays, as it does 
everywhere, and perhaps more than it does anywhere else, a very im- 
portant part. Financiers are the real sovereigns of modern Europe, 



110 THE SOCIETY OP LONDOK. 

and, except in Russia and Germany, it is they who make peace and 
war. 

Napoleon said that England was a nation of shop-keepers. Some 
people take this as an insult, others as a compliment ; but however 
we take it, the remark is just, and a fitting homage to the practical 
nature of the people. Every Englishman, from the meanest to the 
mightiest, is a born man of business, and knows how to profit by 
opportunities that others would allow to escape. The aristocracy 
no longer hesitates to take part in manufactures and in commerce. 
In London the Jews rule all the markets; the City is entirely in 
their hands. 

The aristocracy of finance, as represented by the Barings, and 
especially by the Rothschilds, is equal to the nobility of the sword, 
and society opens its doors to it. Some alliances have been made 
between the ancient families and the great bankers. The most im- 
portant one hitherto is the marriage of Lord Rosebery with Miss 
Rothschild. The chiefs of English finance live in a brilliant, osten- 
tatious manner, and spend their money as they gain it, in a large 
way. 

Great brewers and great builders patronize public houses, theaters, 
and other more or less fortunate speculations. Commerce has noth- 
ing to do with the highest banking business; paper is discounted 
and sold to houses that are simply called merchants, like Mr. 
Layard, Mr. Devaux, etc. 

Among the princes of finance, the dynasty of the Rothschild has 
become the reigning house, or I ought rather r,o say that the Roths- 
childs, with their different branches, have founded a " United 
States " of money. It was the Rothschilds who, when consulted 
by Lord Beaconsfield about his intention of buying £25,000,000 
worth of shares in the Suez Canal, kept the money ready for him, 
and thus enabled him to accomplish his unexpected and audacious 
stroke of policy by telegraph, and in a few hours. 

There are from fifteen to twenty names to be mentioned in the 
aristocracy of finance— the Rothschilds, Baring, Goschen, Oppen- 
heim, Bischoftsheim, etc. 

The Rothschild family in London, as everywhere else, stands at 
the head of financial society, and has one of the best positions iu the 
great world, the artistic world, and on the turf. The Rothschilds 
are everywhere, and they aie everything. 

Ferdinand and Alfred Rothscnild enjoy a real sovereignty, and 
are admired, as they deserve to be, for their royal munificence. 
They give magnificent fetes, and their houses, their country-seats, 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 



see. *:™ ztrsz u -» - - - 

year, of age. H.s mother, a ™> "^ me one day> that 

study at Cambridge, and was anx, us, a, be to ^ 

her son sbeuld have a modern mmd jj^, ajtectors ot Uie 
father, and has become one of the most in prinul pal 

Bank of England, and Consul-gene aK for An tr a- HI ^ 
c ,utyis to represent.be Rothsch, d tarn y m oc "^ ,„_ 

m arvclo»sly well, rece.vug ^ n< ^." , "™ m . = he is an aumi- 
lle knows everybody, and everybody knows 



ruble host. 



rrC^-^t^rL'veJgeuerous, agree- 

"rribert Bassoon Ihave -^^"SK 
childs _ is the descendant of» o d Jew. ^ ^^ ^ ^ 

for a long time resident at Bagdad ^ 

attracted Sir Albert Saloon to t cm n,y ^ „ ^ ^^ 
he soon became a Nabob. Atoei almshouses, and 

«t India," and in Bombay be «*^W*™ Then be came 

mag n, fl cent mansimi * »- ^ ^ tbis amiabl , calm 
Jt^SST £3* Ly to do g ood and e.erclse 
Pr Tbe Chl^inis, **> came from Holland, owe their fortune 



112 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

to the establishment of a line ot pigeons between Paris and Amster- 
dam. 

1 have already spoken of Mr. Baring, Lord Northbrook, whose 
honored name, like that of all his family, has always been a credit 
to the highest ranks of English finance. The whole world is ac- 
quainted with the great financial operations of the Barings, and the 
history of their millions is well known, from those lent to Louis 
Philippe down to our own day. They are bankers to the Queen. 

Viscount Baring, Lord Northbrook's only son, is thirty-four years 
of age; he has served in the Rifle Brigade, and then in the Grenadier 
Guards; and wtien his father was Viceroy of India he accompanied 
him as aid-de-camp. When he returned to Europe he devoted him- 
self to politics, and entered Parliament as a Liberal: and although 
he has not yet proved himself either an orator or a statesman, he is 
popular. 

I come once more to Mr. Goschen. In Parliament he is the type 
of a model man of business, and one ot those rare authors who suc- 
cessfully practice what they write. This he has done in the case of 
his " Theory of Foreign Exchanges." Too intelligent to persist in 
an opinion that meets with resistance, he is a sort ot rallying-point 
in tie House of Commons, neither a Conservative nor a Liberal, 
though he calls himself an Independent Liberal. His opinions ex- 
ercise great authority, from the acknowledged ability and good- 
sense on which they rest. A man of the world, with courteous man- 
ners and attractive conversation, he is perfect on all points of social 
intercourse. 

The Goschens are descended from a German family, which founded 
in London the well-known bank of Fruhliug and Goschen; there 
aie no more Friihlings now, and the bank is managed by the three 
brothers of the ex-Minister, all three very distinguished men. 



TWENTY-FIFTH LETTER. 

SPORT. 

An Englishman is a born sportsman, and from the beginning to 
the end of his life practices some of these physical exercises that 
build up his vigorous constitution. The boy at school has foot-ball 
and cricket, young girls play at tennis and at croquet; and the fair 
daughters of Albion are most graceful when throwing the ball and 
handling the racket. 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 113 

When the boy becomes a man he still plajs cricket, and in sum- 
mer all London society assembles at " Lord'B," and watches every 
stroke of the game with an interest that 1 must confess myself in- 
capable of understanding. On the evening before the great cricket 
matches, people send their carriages to take possession of a good 
place, and on the grand day spend many hours watching the rather 
innocent little game of throwing a ball at three little posts stuck in 
the ground, while the other side tries to send it away. The princi- 
pal players are well known, and are treated like victorious generals 
on a field of battle, and a ball vigorously sent back by the opponent 
is gieeted with rounds of applause. 

In London everybody rides, from the youngest to the oldest, and 
children who can hardly walk are taken out on horseback by their 
grooms. A foreigner in London should never tail to go to Hyde 
Park in the morning, when all the youug Amazons of fashionable 
society display their equestrian skill. Fishing is as eagerly practiced 
as hunting, and a good fishing lets for a very high price. Trout 
and salmon are very abundant, and are the delight of a great num- 
ber of ardent sportsmen. 

The most popular English sport is hunting. One example will 
enable you to form an idea of the vast scale in which it is carried 
on. The Duke of Beaufort has the greatest number of race- 
horses, and possesses more stables than any one in England. In the 
hunting-season he has from sixteen to twenty horses out every day, 
and not one of them is saddled more than twice a week. You 
should see his house at Badminton to understand what hunting 
means. He has three packs of hounds, each of twenty-two couples 
— that is to say, a hundred and thirty-two dogs. 

Hunting with the hounds is better in England than in any other 
country. There are 145 packs of fox-hounds and 115 packs of har- 
riers; in Scotland, eight of the first and one of the second; in Ire- 
land, eighteen of the fiist and thirty-seven of the others. And if 
you count the dogs kept for stag-hunting, there are 340 packs in 
England— that is to say, 11,000 couples of dogs, that with the hunts- 
men, grooms, etc., cost £600,000 a year. 

Among a people so pre-eminently nautical, regattas naturally hold 
a prominent place, and there are few rich Englishmen who do not 
possess some sort of boat— a yacht, a sailing-boat, or at least a row- 
ing-boat. The English are the best swimmers in the world. You, 
no doubt, remember the exploits of Captain Webb, who swam across 
the Strait of Dover, and afterward met his death in the rapids 
of Niagara. No one can beat an Englishman at managing a 



114 THE SOCIETY OF LONDON. 

boat. There are excellent institutions in England for the protec- 
tion of shipwrecked people, admirably maintained by the personal 
courage of the sailors. 

The great naticnal nautical display is the famous boat-race be- 
tween Oxford and Cambridge. The students of these two universi- 
ties elect from amoDg themselves their captain and their crew; and 
after a trial of a few weeks on the Thames, the race takes place on 
the Saturday before Passion Week at the south-west of London, in 
the presence of an excited, clamorous crowd. Oxford takes for its 
symbol dark blue, while pale blue represents Cambridge, and during 
the week that precedes the lace every Englishman wears the color 
of the side he is backing. Coachmen put a blue bow on their whips 
and a cockade of the same color on their horses' heads; women 
wear dresses of the favorite color, and men put on cravats and 
little bits of ribbon to indicate their party. Yachts and boats of all 
kinds follow the raee, and the river is crowded with thousands of 
small craft. The telegraph announces the result to journals that 
are ready to appear the moment the result is known. Haidly a 
minute after the conclusion of the race, flags of the victorious color 
are hoisted in town. Cheers rend the air, and the trains that take 
and carry away the crowd of spectators are packed as tightly as a 
box of sardines. It is a universal holiday; eveiybody is either Ox- 
ford or Cambridge, and in the evening the two crews dine with the 
Lord Mayor. 

The Boat-race, as it is called, and the races at Epsom are the two 
most popular sporting tournaments. On the Derby Day all busi- 
ness is suspended, and even the City is deserted. 

Ascot serves as a srrand display of dress. The Prince of Wales 
goes semi-nfficially, and is present at the races during the whole 
of Ascot week. 

The Goodwood course belongs to the Duke of Richmond, and 
was formerly private. 

Nearer London there are Sandown and KemptonPark races, and 
finally the Derby, which all Parisians know nearly as well as their 
Bois de Boulogne. 

There are also the Liverpool races, when Lord Sefton holds his 
great receptions at his mansion of Croxteth. 

I must mention Punchestown races in Ireland, and then pass over 
all the less important ones. 

Among the numerous racing-circles the most important are those 
of Lords Zetland, Cadogan, Alington, Falmouth, Rosebery, Hast- 
ings, Londonderry, Lascelles, Hartington, Suffolk, March, West- 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDON". 115 

moreland, and ot Mr. James Lowtber; of the Dukes of Portland, 
Westminster, St. Alban's, and Hamilton; and, finally, those of 
Rothschild, Sir George Chetwynd, Mr. William Gerard, Mr. Chap- 
lin, Mr. W. Craven, Geueral Owen Williams, Captain Machell, and 
Caroline, Duchess of Montrose, who enters under the name of 
" Monsieur Manton." 

All sportsmen knew Admiral Rous, whose pen has so well de- 
lineated these "horsey" conflicts and who was called the "Dic- 
tator of the Turf." Lord Cadogan has written excellent things 
on the same subject, and may be said to have succeeded him. He is 
one of the stewards of ihe Jockey Club. 

The Jockey Club consists of seventy members, fifty-seven of 
whom belong, or have belonged, to one of our two legislative 
bodies, while twenty have held office as Ministers of the Crown. 
There is some difficulty in getting stewards; for Ministers in office 
can not find time for it. But those who are out of office might cer- 
tainly accept the post, as General Peel and the late Lord Derby have 
done. 

Lord Cadogan has tried to save racing from the discredit and deg- 
radation with which it i3 threatened, and there is now less jobbery 
and immorality than there used to be; but the evil is still very 
great. To remedy it, a legislation for the turf, that would extend 
and support the authority of stewards in everything that concerns 
the arrangement of races, is wanted. At present the system uni- 
versally adopted of giving power to the organizers of races and to 
jockeys much injures the authority of the Jockey Club, which is a 
kind of Parliament of the Turf. The stewards alone ought to make 
the arrangements and fix the dates of the meetings. The Jockey 
Club replies to all attacks made upon it by facts and statistics. In 
1874 there were 1873 races, in which 1965 horses took part. In 
1884 there were 1615 races, with 1982 horses. The first took place 
on 130 courses, and were the object of 185 meetings; the last on 65 
courses only, corresponding to 136 meetings, which proves the suc- 
cess of the efforts made by the stewards of the Jockey Club to pre- 
vent the multiplication ot race-courses. 

At the last Derby, when the officers of the Horse Guards alone lost 
£75,000 , the book-makers won £225,000 by collusion with the 
jockeys, who, not being able to bet on their own horses, back the 
horses they are not riding, and keep back their own to make their 
favorites win. 

When the Jockey Club detects these frauds they are punished 
severely; but it is very difficult to discover and to prevent them. 



116 



THE SOCIETY OF LONDOK. 



Fred Archer himself, the most celebrated jockey in England, 
who is called *' the tinman," has won about 1500 races, more than 
£120,000. 

Here 1 must conclude. 1 have nothing extenuated, or set down 
aught in malice respecting the World of London, in which, as in 
every '• world " all over the " wide, wide " one, there is much to 
condemn and much to admire. 



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300 A Gilded Sin, and A Bridge of 

Love. By the author of " Dora 
Thorne" 10 

301 Dark Days. By Hugh Conway. 10 

302 The Blatchford Bequest. By 

Hugh Conway 10 

303 Ingledew Plouse, and More Bit- 

ter than Death. By the author 
of " Dora Thorne " 10 

304 In Cupid's Net. By the author 

of " Dora Thorne " 10 

305 A Dead Heart, and Lady Gwen- 

doline's Dream. By the au- 
thor of " Dora Thorne " 10 

306 A Golden Dawn, and Love for a 

Day. By the author of " Dora 
Thorne " 10 

307 Two Kisses, and Like No Other 

Love. By the author of "Dora 
Thorne " 10 

308 Beyond Pardon 20 

309 The Pathfinder. By J. Feni- 

more Cooper 20 

310 The Prairie. By J. Fenimore 

Cooper 20 

311 Two Years Before the Mast. By 

R. H.Dana, Jr 20 

312 AWeekinKillarney. By "The 

Duchess " 1* 

313 The Lover's Creed. By Mrs. 

Cashel Hoey = . . ■ IB 

314 Peril. By Jessie Fothergill 20 

315 The Mistletoe Bough. Edited 

by Miss M. E. Braddon 20 

316 Sworn to Silence; or, Aline Rod- 

ney's Secret. By Mrs. Alex, 
McVeigh Miller , 80 



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817 By Mead and Stream. Charles 

Gibbon 20 

118 The Pioneers; or, The Sources 

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Fenimore Cooper 20 

§19 Face to Face : A Fact in Seven 

Fables. Bv R. E. Francillon. 10 
§20 A Bit of Human Nature. By 

David Christie Murray. ...... 10 

821 The Prodigals : And Their In- 

heritance. By Mrs. Oliphant 10 

822 A Woman's Love-Story.... 10 

323 A Willful Maid. . ... 20 

824 In Luck at Last. By Walter 

Besant.. 10 

825 The Portent. By George Mac- 

donald.,,.,,.. 10 

826 Phantastes. A Faerie Romance 

for Men and Women. By 
George Macdonald. 10 

827 Raymond's Atonement. (From 

the German of E. Werner.) 
By Christina Tyrrell... ,„... 20 

828 Babiole, the Pretty Milliner. By 

F. Du Boisgrooey. First half 20 
628 Babiole, the Pretty Milliner. By 

F. Du Boisgobey. Second half 20 

829 The Polish Jew. By Erckmann 

Chatrian .... ... 10 

830 May Blossom ; or, Between Two 

Loves. By Margaret Lee. . 20 
331 Gerald. By Eleanor C. Price.. 20 
832 Judith Wynne. A Novel . .20 
333 Frank Fairlegh ; or, Scenes 

from the Life of a Private 

Pupil. By Frank E. Smedley 20 
834 A Marriage of Convenience. By 

Harriett Jay. 10 

335 The White Witch. A Novel.. . 20 

336 Philistia. By Cecil Power ..... 20 

837 Memoirs and Resolutions of 

Adam Graeme of Mossgray, 
Including Some Chronicles of 
theVBorough of Fendie. By 
MrsAOliphant. .' 20 

838 The Family Difficulty. By Sarah 

Doudney. .... 10 

839 Mrs. Vereker's Courier Maid. 

By Mrs. Alexander. ...... 10 

840 Under Which King? ByComp- 

tonReade 20 

341 Madolin Rivers; or. The Little 

Beauty of Red Oak Seminary. 
By Laura Jean Libbey . ...... 20 

342 The Babv, and One New Year's 

Eve. By " The Duchess " . . . . 10 

843 The Talk of the Town. By 

James Pavn . 20 

844 "The Wearing of the Green." 

Bv Basil 20 

345 Madam. By Mrs. Oliphant.... 20 
8±6 Tumbledown Farm. By Alan 

Muir.. 10 

847 As Avon Flows. By Henry Scott 

Vince... 20 

B48 From Post to Finish. A Racing 

Romance. By Hawley Smart 20 



NO. PRICK. 

349 The Two Admirals. A Tale of 

the Sea. By J. Fenimore 
Cooper 90 

350 Diaua of the Crossways. By 

George Meredith 10 

351 The House on the Moor. By 

Mrs. Oliphant , . . 20 

352 At Any Cost. By Edward Gar- 

rett If 

353 The Black Dwarf, and A Leg. 

end of Montrose. By Sir Wal- 
ter Scott 20 

354 The Lottery of Life. A Story 

of New York Twenty Years 
Ago. By John Brougham... 20 

355 That Terrible Man. By W. E. 

Norris. The Princess Dmgo- 
mar of Poland. By Heinrich 
Felbermann 10 

356 A Good Hater. By Frederick 

Boyle 20 

357 John. A Love Story. By Mrs. 

Oliphant 20 

358 Within the Clasp. By J. Ber- 

wick Harwood , 20 

359 The Water-Witch. By J. Feni- 

more Cooper 20 

360 Ropes of Sand. By R. E. Fran- 

cillon ... 20 

361 The Red Rover. A Tale of the 

Sea. By J. Fenimore Cooper 20 

362 The Bride of Lammermoor. 

By Sir Walter Scott. . . 20 

363 The Surgeon's Daughter. By 

Sir Walter Scott 1« 

364 Castle Dangerous. By Sir Wal- 

ter Scott...... 16 

365 George Christy; or, The Fort- 

unes of a Minstrel. By Tony 
Pastor. 20 

366 The Mysterious Hunter; or, 

The Man of Death. By Capt. 
L. C. Carleton 20 

367 Tie and Trick. By Hawley Smart 20 

368 The Southern Star ; or, The Dia- 

mond Land. By Jules Verne 20 

369 Miss Bretherton. By Mrs. Hum- 

phry Ward 10 

370 Lucy Crof ton. By Mrs. Oliphant 10 

371 Margaret Maitland. By Mrs. Oli- 

phant 20 

372 Phyllis' Probation. By the au- 

thor of " His Wedded Wife ". 10 

373 Wing-and-Wing. J. Fenimore 

Cooper 20 

374 The Dead Man's Secret ; or, The 

Adventures of a Medical Stu- 
dent. Bv Dr. Jupiter Paeon.. 20 

375 A Ride to Khiva. By Capt. Fred 

Burnaby, of the Royal Horse 
Guards.... .... 20 

376 The Crime of Christmas-Day. 

By the author of " My Duc- 
ats and Mv Daughter 10 

377 Magdalen Hepburn; A Story 

of the Scottish Reformation. 
By Mrs. Oliphant .*.„*.. 20 



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379 



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Knoll. J. Fenimore Cooper.. 20 

The Red Cardinal. By Frances 
Elliot 10 

Three Sisters; or, Sketches of 
a Highly Original Family. 
By Elsa D'Esterre-Keeling. .. 10 

Introduced to Society. By Ham- 
ilton Aide 10 

On Horseback Through Asia 
Minor. Capt. Fred Burnaby. 20 

The Headsman ; or, The Abbaye 
des Vignerons. By J. Feni- 
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Led Astray ; or, "La Petite Comt- 
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The Secret of the Cliffs. By 
Charlotte French 20 

Addie's Husband; or, Through 
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Ichabod. By Bertha Thomas... 10 

Mildred Trevanion. By " The 
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Lionel Lincoln ; or, The Leaguer 
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411 A Bitter Atonement. By Char- 

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412 Some One Else. Ey B. M. Croker 20 

413 Afloat and Ashore. By J. Feni- 

more Cooper 20 

414 Miles Walliugford. (Sequel to 

" Afloat and Ashore.") By J. 
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415 The Ways of the Hour. By J. 

Fenimore Cooper 20 

416 Jack Tier ; or, The Florida Reef. 

By J. Fenimore Cooper 20 

417 The Fair Maid of Perth; or, St. 

Valentine's Day. By Sir Wal- 
ter Scott 20 

418 St. Ronan's Well. By Sir Wal- 

ter Scott 20 

419 The Chainbearer ; or, The Little- 

page Manuscripts. By J. 
Fenimore Cooper 20 

420 Satanstoe; or, The Littlepage 

Manuscripts. By J. Fenimore 
Cooper 20 

421 The Redskins; or, Indian and 

Injin. Being the conclusion 
of The Littlepage Manu- 
scripts. J. Fenimore Cooper 20 

422 Precaution. J. Fenimore Cooper 20 

423 The Sea-Lions; or, The Lost 

Sealers. J. Fenimore Cooper 20 

424 Mercedes of Castile; or. The 

Voyage to Cathay. By J. 
Fenimore Cooper 20 

425 The Oak Openings; or, The Bee- 

Hunter. J. Fenimore Cooper. 30 

426 Venus's Doves. By Ida Ash- 

worth Taylor 20 

427 The Remarkable History of Sir 

Thomas Upmore, Bart., M.P., 
formerly known as " Tommy 
Upmore." R. D. Blackmore. 20 

428 Zero : A Story of Monte-Carlo. 

By Mrs. Campbell Praed 10 

429 Boulderstone; or, New Men and 

Old Populations. By Wiliam 
Sime 10 

430 A Bitter Reckoning. By the 

author of "By Crooked Paths" 10 

431 The Monikins. By J. Fenimore 

Cooper 20 

432 The Witch's Head. By H. Rider 

Haergard 20 

433 My Sister Kate. By Charlotte 

M. Braeme, author of " Dora 
Thorne," and A Rainy June. 
By "Ouida" 10 

434 Wvllard's Weird. By Miss M. 

E. Braddon 20 

435 Klytia : A Story of Heidelberg 

Castle. By George Taylor.. . . 20 

436 Stella. By Fanny Lewald 20 

437 Life and Adventures of Martin 

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437 Life and Adventures of Martin 
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438 Found Out. Helen B. Mathers. 10 

439 Great Expectations. B}- Chas. 

Dickens 20 

440 Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings. By 

Charles Dickens 10 

441 A Sea Change. By Flora L. 

Shaw 20 

442 Ranthorpe. By George Henry 

443 The Bachelor of The Albany". '. 1C 

444 The Heart of Jane Warner. By 

Florence Marryat 

445 The Shadow of a Crime. By 

Hall Caine 20 

446 Dame Durden. By " Rita " . . . . 20 

447 American Notes. By Charles 

Dickens 20 

448 Pictures From Italy, and The 

Mudfog Papers, &c. By Chas. 
Dickens 20 

449 Peeress and Player. By Flor- 

ence Marryat 20 

450 Godfrey Helstone. Bj' Georgiana 

M. Craik 20 

451 Market Harborough, and Inside 

the Bar. By G. J. Whyte- 
Melville 20 

452 In the West Countrie. By May 

Crommelin 20 

453 The Lottery Ticket. By F. Du 

Boisgobey 20 

454 The Mystery of Edwin Drood. 

By Charles Dickens 20 

455 Lazarus in London. By F. W. 

Robinson 20 

456 Sketches by Boz. Illustrative of 

Every-day Life and Every-day 
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457 The Russians at the Gates of 

Herat. Bv Charles Marvin . . . 

458 A Week of Passion ; or, The Di- 

lemma of Mr. George Barton 
the Younger. By Edward Jen- 
kins 20 

459 A Woman's Temptation. By 

Charlotte M. Braeme, author 
of " Dora Thome " 20 

460 Under a Shadow. By Charlotte 

M. Braeme, author of " Dora 
Thorne" 20 

461 His Wedded Wife. By author 

of " Ladybird's Penitence ".. 20 

462 Alice's Adventures in Wonder- 

land. By Lewis Carroll. With 
forty-two illustrations by 
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463 Redgauntlet, Sir Walter Scott. 20 

464 The Newcomes. By Wm. Make- 

peace Thackeray. Parti 20 

465 The Earl"s Atonement. By Char- 

lotte M. Braeme, author of 
" Dora Thorne " 20 

466 Between Two Loves. By Char- 

lotte M. Braeme, author of 
"Dora Thorne" 20 

467 A Struggle for a Ring. By Char- 

lotte M. Braeme, author of 
" Dora Thorne " 20 



10 



NO. PRICK. 

468 The Fortunes, Good and Bad, 

of a Sewing-Girl. By Char- 
lotte M. Stanley 10 

469 Lady Darner's Secret. By Char- 

lotte M. Braeme, author of 
"Dora Thorne" 20 

470 Evelyn's Folly. By Charlotte 

M. Braeme, author of " Dora 
Thorne " 20 

471 Thrown on the World. By Char- 

lotte M. Braeme, author of 
" Dora Thorne " 20 

472 The Wise Women of Inverness. 

By William Black 10 

473 A Lost Son. By Mary Linskill. 10 

474 Serapis. An Historical Novel. 

By George Ebers 20 

475 The Prima Donna's Husband. 

By F. Du Boisgobey 20 

476 Between Two Sins. By Char- 

lotte M. Braeme, author of 
" Dora Thorne " 10 

477 Affinities. A Romance of To- 

day. By Mrs. Campbell Praed. 10 

478 Diavola; or, Nobody's Daughter 

By Miss M. E.Braddon. Parti. 20 

478 Diavola; or, Nobody's Daughter 

By Miss M. E.Braddon. Part II. 20 

479 Louisa. By Katharine S. Mac- 

quoid 20 

480 Married in Haste. By Miss M. 

E. Braddon 20 

481 The House that Jack Built. By 

Alison 10 

482 A Vagra nt Wife. By F. Warden 20 

483 Betwixt My Love and Me. By 

the author of "A Golden Bar " 10 

484 Although He Was a Lord, and 

Other Tales. By Mrs. For- 
rester 10 

485 Tinted Vapours. By J. Maclaren 

Cobban 10 

486 Dick's Sweetheart. By "The 

Duchess " 20 

487 Put to the Test. Edited by Miss 

M. E. Braddon 20 

490 A Second Life. By Mrs. Alex- 

ander 20 

491 Society in London. By A For- 

eign Resident 10 

492 Mignon ; or, Booties' Baby. By 

J. S. Winter. Illustrated 10 

493 Colonel Enderby's Wife. By 

Lucas Malet 20 

494 A Maiden All Forlorn, and Bar- 

bara. By "The Duchess". .. 10 

500 Adrian Vidal. By W. E. Norris. 20 

501 Mr. Butler's Ward. By F. 

Mabel Robiuson 20 

502 Carriston'sGift. By Hugh Con- 

way, author of "Called Back " 10 

504 Curly: An Actor's Story. By 

John Coleman. Illustrated. 
My Poor Wife. By the author 
of " Addie's Husband " 10 

505 The Society of London. By 

Count Paul Vasili 10 



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